The drink-driving television advertisments save a huge amount of lives and must be retained as an important road safety initiative, Transport Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

"I can't believe that Labour would scrap the ads as we have independent research to prove they are a success story."

"Labour Transport spokesman Harry Duynhoven says he wants to bring the road toll down, and then says he will scrap these ads that have already been a major contributor to saving lives on our roads."

Mr Williamson said research conducted by well known road safety experts Vulcan and Cameron showed that measures introduced in 1995 to combat alcohol and speed, of which the ads were a major part, had saved a large number of lives.

" During 1996 and 1997, the reviewers estimated that the campaign had saved more than 100 lives and over 1000 serious injuries. They also estimated that the alcohol campaign had led to more than a 30 percent reduction in alcohol related serious casualty crashes in 1997," said Mr Williamson.

"If Labour are so keen to get the road toll down, they must follow National's example and retain these ads."

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>