PRESS RELEASE
2 February 2009
For immediate release

Kill the Speed, Not the Child

As children return to school after the long summer break Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) is reminding drivers to slow down to 20km/h when passing school buses in either direction.

In the last two years four children have been killed after getting off school buses, with more seriously injured.

Over the last year Rural Women New Zealand has been campaigning to raise awareness of the 20 km/h Road Code rule, and has drawn strong support from other child safety advocates.

“Now it’s time to act,” says Rural Women New Zealand National President, Margaret Chapman. “We want to see 20km/h signs displayed on all school buses. Too many people are either ignorant or this section of the Road Code, or simply ignore it.”

RWNZ is also calling for flashing ‘wig wag’ lights to be installed on school buses, which would operate when the bus had stopped or is pulling away, alerting drivers that they are approaching a school bus.

$83,000 has been allocated in NZTA’s 2008/9 National Land Transport Programme for school bus safety research.

Over the years there have been many studies and reports on this topic. “Now it’s time for results,” says Ms Chapman. “We would like to see New Zealand take a lead from New South Wales and other parts of Australia, where flashing lights and speed limit signs are compulsory on all school buses.”

The danger, particularly to rural children, is an ongoing one. Between 1992 and 2001 twelve children were killed, 20 seriously injured and a further 80 suffered minor injuries in school-bus related accidents in New Zealand.

“In many of these accidents the drivers involved were travelling at well over the 20km/h speed limit, with tragic consequences,” says Ms Chapman.

“Children can behave unpredictably. To keep them safe drivers must take extreme care around school buses and observe the 20km/h rule.”

ENDS

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