Rural highway safety programme lauded

The Government’s new investment in improving

New Zealand’s highest risk rural highways is a great news for road safety says the Automobile Association.

‘‘This safety investment will save lives – it’s that simple. Our 1.5 million AA Members and all road users will be extremely happy to see these improvements,’’ AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon says.

‘‘We know that upgrading roads with things like barriers, wide centrelines, rumble strip and better road markings makes a huge difference in reducing crashes but this programme will see them used on a much greater scale.

‘‘The AA is a leading advocate for balanced road safety and people commonly complain that New Zealand’s roads, particularly our rural highways, aren’t as safe as other countries. This investment by the Government is going to help improve that.’’

The just announced programme has identified 90 high-risk sites on rural State Highways in 14 regions around the country where a range of safety improvements will be made.

An example of the massive improvements that safety upgrades like those proposed can deliver has been on State Highway 1 north of Wellington between Pukerua Bay and Paekakariki.

There were 16 fatalities on that stretch of road in the 10 years prior to a median barrier being installed in 2004. In the 10 years since the barrier’s installation it has been hit more than 100 times without a single death.

It will see $600m invested into road safety over the next six years and is forecast to prevent 900 deaths and serious injuries over the next decade.