“As we enter the new decade, my thoughts are with the families, friends and communities of the 353 people who lost their lives in road crashes last year. While the number of deaths is lower than in 2018 (377), this is still a staggering loss of life,” Duty Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“I want to acknowledge and thank all our emergency response professionals who deal first-hand with the trauma on our roads and work to save lives on a daily basis.

“During this busy holiday period I encourage everyone to stay focused, be patient and drive according to the conditions every time they travel. I really want everyone to arrive home safely from their holiday destinations.

“Road safety will remain a priority for this Government which is committed to sustained investment over this decade to upgrading our roads and save lives.

“This year more safety upgrades, like side and median crash barriers, will be rolled out across the 3000 km of high-risk state highway identified by the NZ Transport Agency.

“2020 marks the beginning of the Government’s new ten year road safety action plan, focused on greater investment in safety upgrades, driver training, enforcement, and safer speed limits,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.”

The official 2019/2020 holiday period began at 4pm on Tuesday 24 Dec 2019 and ends at 6am on Friday 3 Jan 2020.

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