17 January 2006

Red means stop: end of 'bloody' story

A hard-hitting road safety campaign has been launched today to slash the number of drivers running red lights in the city.

Failure to give way at intersections is one of the leading causes of crashes in Auckland city, with up to 255 people dying or being injured each year.

The shared two-week campaign between Auckland City, Accident Compensation Corporation and Police, with support from Transit NZ, aims to make people think twice about beating a red light signal.

"An alarming number of drivers speed up when they see an orange light, rather than slowing down," says Auckland City's traffic safety manager, Karen Hay.

"It is too fine to judge and a huge risk to take. We are determined to slash the number of people blatantly flouting road rules."

Meanwhile, police all over Auckland are cracking down on people who run red lights.

"We are targeting the highest risk intersections, to detect and fine offenders," says Inspector Heather Wells from Auckland Police.

"This also includes cyclists who ride through red lights. The message to drivers is loud and clear: red means stop."

The council has installed a double-sided billboard signalling the message on the Nelson Street off-ramp near Spaghetti Junction and is distributing campaign packs of car stickers, pens and newsletters around service stations, asserting the red means stop message.

ENDS

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