Road toll lowest ever for month of August

The 29 deaths on New Zealand roads last month was the lowest toll recorded for any August since records began in 1965, the Land Transport Safety Authority said today.

The 29 fatalities compares with 62 deaths in the same month last year and is just one more than the lowest ever monthly toll – January this year – when 28 people were killed.

Director of Land Transport Safety Reg Barrett said today that the lower road toll was a welcome improvement but a lot more work still needed to be done.

“There is no such thing as an acceptable level of carnage on our roads. Any death is a tragedy that doesn’t need to happen.”

To date this year 303 people have died in crashes compared with 351 at the same time last year. The road toll for the 12-month period to midnight last night stood at 461, while the toll for all of last year was 509.

“It appears that drivers are heeding some of the key road safety messages,” Mr Barrett said. “There is a lot of work being done in a lot of areas to help bring the road toll down – with education, enforcement and engineering all making a positive contribution.

“However we still have to avoid complacency. The best advice I have for motorists is to give yourself a chance to survive – that means drive to conditions, keep your speed down, never drink and drive, buckle up and allow space between you and the vehicle in front. Do these things and you stand a good chance of avoiding adding to the tragedies that continue to occur our roads.”

© Scoop Media