Drive to survive these school holidays

The Land Transport Safety Authority is advising motorists to take extra care on the road during the school holiday period.

The Director of Land Transport Safety, Reg Barrett, said today that motorists should be especially alert and on the lookout for children.

“Children are likely to be playing in places and at times where you would not usually expect to see them during term-time.

“It is not just a matter of taking care around school gates. It is a matter of taking care everywhere, especially with the rain warnings that have been issued for parts of the country over the next few days.”

Mr Barrett advised drivers to at least double following distances in the wet, and to ensure that their passengers put on their safety belts or were secured in approved child restraints.

“Simple precautions like buckling up and keeping your speed down can greatly improve your chances of avoiding or surviving a crash.”

The LTSA’s advice comes after 34 people were killed on New Zealand roads in June, the same number of fatalities as in June 1999. The road toll equals the second lowest on record for June. The lowest June toll was in 1995 when 29 people died in crashes. The highest June toll was in 1973 when 79 people died on our roads.

The provisional road toll for the year to the end of June is 234 – the lowest recorded figure for the first six months of any year since 1964.

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