Road death toll matches 2016, still two months to go

  • 06/11/2017

The number of people killed on our roads this year is almost the same as 2016, and there are still two months to go.

Brake NZ development director Caroline Perry says it's been a horrific year on the roads.

"We're still seeing the same issues in terms of people not wearing seatbelts, speeding, choosing to drink and drive, and using mobile phones at the wheel.

"Lack of concentration and focus is certainly an aspect in a lot of crashes. When we're on the roads we have to be giving the task of driving our full attention."

The national death toll for road deaths in 2017 currently sits at 323 - just five shy of last year's entire total.

Ms Perry says these deaths shouldn't have happened.

"No road death is acceptable and they're not inevitable, they're preventable."

Ms Perry says the government should be increasing spending on transport.

"We're calling on the government to make good on their promise they made pre-election in their transport policy for a vision zero approach to transport safety.

"It's not acceptable, in the same way we've said workplace health and safety we've said zero harm, that everyone should be able to go to work every day and come home safely, shouldn't we be able to use the road safely and get home safe every day?"

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