Half of holiday crash victims not using seatbelts

Five people killed on New Zealand roads during the holiday period were not wearing seatbelts or suitable restraints, police say.

Eleven people were killed on New Zealand roads during the Christmas/New Year holiday period – the highest number in three years and almost three times the number of deaths a year earlier. The official holiday period began at 4pm on Christmas Eve and ended at 6am on yesterday.

Acting national road policing manager Inspector Peter McKennie said at least five of the holiday crash victims were not wearing seatbelts or suitable restraints. Another two died in a motorbike crash.

Wearing a seatbelt would not necessarily have meant they would have survived, but they would have had a better chance, he said. He declined to comment further about the deaths as they were subject to coronial hearings.

McKennie said there was no magic recipe for keeping everyone safe on the roads.

‘‘It’s about going back to basics, understanding the impact of speed and making sure you’re always wearing a seatbelt.’’

Duty Minister Willie Jackson said the deaths were a tragedy for wha¯nau and emergency responders, particularly at this time of year. ‘‘It is a sad reminder to us all that ... we must respect the conditions and speed limits to ensure no other wha¯nau has to deal with the heartbreak of losing their loved one.’’

The road toll is the highest in three years. The 2019-20 year total was four, in 2018-19 it was nine, and in 2017-18 it was 12.

Last year, 320 people lost their lives on New Zealand’s roads.

Ministry of Transport mobility and safety manager Helen White said the figure was ‘‘an absolute tragedy’’.

‘‘We saw far too many tragic crashes last year and it’s time we agreed that deaths or serious injuries on our roads are no longer acceptable.’’

The Government launched the Road to Zero Road Safety Strategy last year, which aimed to prevent 750 deaths and 5600 serious injuries on New Zealand roads over the next 10 years.

While mistakes were inevitable on roads, deaths and serious injuries from crashes were not, White said.