21 July 2011

The AA is hoping New Zealand’s annual road toll is on its way to falling below 300 for the first time in 59 years.

The Ministry of Transport released its road toll report for the second quarter of 2011 today, showing a record low in the number of deaths on our roads for the first six months of the year.

The January to June toll of 139 is the lowest since records began – the previous low being 192 in 2006 – and the 69 deaths in the April to June quarter was similarly a record low.

The reductions in fatalities has also been accompanied by drops in crash-related hospital admissions and ACC claims.

“It is fantastic to see the number of people being killed on our roads is continuing to fall,” says AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon.

“What we all desperately want to see now is the trend continue in the second half of the year. We are halfway to less than 300 fatalities. That hasn’t happened since 1952 when the population was half what it is now and there was six-times less vehicles on the road.

“The lowest road toll we have had in the last five decades was 366 in 2008 followed by 385 in 2009 and 375 last year, so imagine how great it will be if we can go under 300.

“That would be 66 more people still alive to welcome in the New Year in 2012 and 66 families and friends whose lives haven’t been devastated.

“The first half of this year shows our roads can be safer.”

Understanding why the 2011 toll has dropped so significantly is the crucial next step the AA wants the Government to focus on.

Analysis needs to be done into what impact social factors like the tough economic times, record petrol prices, less long weekends due to Waitangi Day falling on a Sunday and Anzac Day coinciding with Easter have played in the drop in the road toll as well as other significant factors like safety improvements to the State Highway network and road policing initiatives.

“New Zealand’s safe system approach acknowledges that reducing the deaths and serious injuries on our roads requires safer drivers in safer cars on safer roads at safer speeds,” says Mr Noon.

“We want research done now to understand the causes of this drop.

“The latest report highlights many interesting details like the reduction in fatalities has mainly been on the open road rather than in urban areas and also predominately during the day.

“If we can understand why we have seen such a fantastic drop in the road toll we will be well placed to keep the road toll at this level or reduce it even further.”

ENDS

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