10 December 2015

Housing New Zealand set to exceed driveway safety target

Housing New Zealand is set to exceed its driveway safety programme target, with improvements due to be made to nearly 14,000 properties across New Zealand by the end of June.

The programme, which began in 2013, aims to reduce the risk of children being run over in the driveways of state homes, by installing fencing, self-closing gates with child-resistant latches, speed restriction signs, speed humps and convex mirrors where appropriate.

As of October 31, 2015, 670 Housing New Zealand properties in Christchurch have had driveway safety improvements completed.

Housing New Zealand’s Chief Operating Officer Paul Commons says the $30 million programme originally had the target of inspecting and making improvements at 13,000 properties where there are young children living at them.

“What we’ve found is that the interventions we’ve had to make on average are not as extensive or expensive as we had first thought, therefore we’ve been able to complete more of them. As a result, we’re on target to complete more than the 13,000 properties,” Mr Commons says.

Housing New Zealand supports Safekids Aotearoa’s programme to improve awareness of how to reduce the risk of driveway safety run-overs.

According to Ann Weaver, Director of Safekids Aotearoa, a child is put in hospital every two weeks from injuries received by a vehicle in a private driveway, and a further four to five children die each year from those injuries. Most children injured in driveway incidents are toddlers, aged about two, and their injuries are often severe. Most of these injuries come from children being run over by relatives.

“We support and applaud Housing New Zealand for the work they’re doing to make their driveways safer and help reduce the risk of children being injured. However, there is still no substitute for careful supervision by caregivers,” Ms Weaver says.

“Our key message for the summer is “Check for me before you turn the key.” This means, before getting in the car, walk around it and make sure children are not hidden from sight.”

Housing New Zealand provides driveway safety advice for tenants, and has produced a guide to private property owners on how to ensure their own driveways are as safe as possible.

ENDS

Background

Housing New Zealand’s driveway safety programme began in 2013, with the aim of making improvements at 13,000 properties, at a total cost of $30million.

As at the end of October 2015, Housing New Zealand had made improvements to 10,802 properties, with a further 3,000 planned for the remainder of this financial year – bringing the total to around 13,800 properties.

The budget for the programme is $30 million over the four years.

The improvements made at each property depend on the type of property. Examples including the installation of fencing and self-closing gates with child-resistant latches to create play areas that are separate from the driveway and easily visible from a main living area, speed restriction signs, speed humps and convex mirrors.

As at end of October 2015. the following properties had been completed:

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