Another fatal crash
Canterbury roads have claimed a fifth victim in the past week, after a person died when a car and truck collided on a rural road.
The crash happened at a controlled intersection at Woodstock Rd and Harmans Gorge Rd, 11 kilometres west of Oxford, about 11.40am yesterday.
It appeared a car failed to give way, colliding with a truck and trailer unit. The serious crash unit is investigating.
About 358 people have died on New Zealand roads this year – one away from equalling the total number of deaths for all of 2017.
Of those, 50 deaths have come from fatal crashes in Canterbury.
‘‘It’s important to emphasise that although these are rural intersections, it’s important to be just as vigilant as the risk does not change because you’re in a rural environment,’’ rural area commander Inspector Peter Cooper said.
‘‘It’s really disappointing we’re still having crashes like this in rural parts of Canterbury.’’
St John spokeswoman Chrissy Hamilton said another person was thought to have serious injuries but their condition was downgraded to moderate.
They were taken to Christchurch Hospital by helicopter.
Yesterday’s death marked a bad seven days on the region’s roads. An 84-year-old woman was killed in Rolleston early on Sunday morning while walking on a rural road. Police have not released her name.
Two Canterbury locals, 71-year-old Aalix Sandra Roake and 63-year-old Richard John Roake, died in a crash on Wednesday in Selwyn.
One person died in a crash on Dyers Pass Rd on Monday or Tuesday last week.
Their name has not been released.
Senior Sergeant Kelly Larsen said the past week had been a ‘‘tragic’’ one for Cantabrians.
Motorists needed to start focusing and being more patient when travelling on Canterbury roads, she said.
‘‘Wear your seatbelt, focus on the road and drive to the conditions. It’s not exciting but it’s the same things that people are not paying attention to. We’ve had the most people that have died on the roads this year. I do not want to see any more; I want everyone to be able to spend this Christmas with family.’’
Old cars are killing us, but consumer choice and financial implications mean no-one is looking to scrap them.
New Zealand has one of the oldest vehicle fleets in the OECD and, despite efforts to bring it up to a higher standard, the process is not straightforward.
With almost all of the country’s vehicles imported from overseas, the best our Government can do is impose regulations on cars coming from abroad – and there have been moves made.
New Zealand’s light-vehicle fleet has an average age of 14 years old. In 2009, the average age of vehicles coming into the country was 12.5 years.
According to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) the proportion of new vehicles entering the fleet is ‘‘very low’’.
Analysis by the Ministry of Transport to June last year shows people involved in a crash in a car 20 years old or more were
60 per cent more likely to die or suffer serious injuries compared with those in a car that was just
10 years old.
Twenty per cent of New Zealand’s cars are more than 20 years old, while 3 per cent are more than 35 years old.
New Zealand’s hands are tied somewhat by the vehicle-safety standards of other countries from which it imports cars.
As part of the Safe System approach, all imported cars will need to have electronic stability control (ESC) from March 2020.
The same applies to new vehicles that gained road certification after June 2015 and used vehicles with an engine bigger than two litres that hit the roads from March this year. There are exceptions, mainly for buyers of special-interest vehicles such as classic cars.
Other minimum safety standards are also being looked at, such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), a fatigue warning system, seatbelt reminder, lanekeep assist and intersection collision warning systems.
The ministry said before anything could be done, several implications needed to be looked at – including the financial impact on drivers.
‘‘Updating New Zealand’s vehicle fleet has impacts on supply and consumer choice,’’ safety and mobility manager Brent Johnston said. ‘‘It particularly impacts lower-income households which may be unable to afford a modern vehicle . . . Requiring owners to scrap their vehicles is not being considered.’’
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter acknowledged modern safety features could be the difference between life and death in a crash. They were being considered as part of a potential Vision Zero policy.
Genter also hoped to take a paper to Cabinet soon requiring imported motorbikes to be fitted with anti-lock braking systems. That would help to prevent skidding and potentially reduce motorcycle crashes by up to 33 per cent.