Te Awamutu Courier

Heavy toll over weekend ‘totally unacceptab­le’ say police

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Police and Waka Kotahi are reminding people it takes everyone to get to no one.

After a horrific weekend when 11 people lost their lives on the roads, the agencies are reminding people they need to take responsibi­lity and make good decisions every time they are on the road.

“It’s totally unacceptab­le that so many lives were lost over a few days,” Assistant Commission­er for Police Bruce O’Brien says.

“On top of that, there will be people who survived crashes who will be left with life-changing injuries. Some people have months of recovery, and some never recover. We accept as police that we have an important role to play in keeping people safe on the road. That is why we are out there unapologet­ically focusing on people speeding and pulling over drivers who are clearly not focused on what they are doing.

“We will continue to do that, and we have committed to lifting our performanc­e even more. However, police alone cannot change the number of people dying on our roads. Nor can our road safety partners,” Bruce says.

“Drivers and riders need to take some responsibi­lity. Police can’t be on every single street corner or every stretch of highway. Every road user needs to play their part in getting to where they are going safely.

“It’s not hard and I’m struggling to understand how we are still having this conversati­on. We are simply asking that people treat driving, or motorbike riding, with the care and respect it deserves.

“Slow down, pay attention. If you’ve been drinking — don’t drive, and always wear your seatbelt — or helmet if you’re a rider. These aren’t big asks. And if people paid attention and followed these basic safety pointers, we wouldn’t keep losing lives on the road,” Bruce says.

“I feel for the families and friends who are grieving the loss of their loved ones right now. Their lives have been changed forever. So let’s stop any more families from having to go through that. Let’s all play our part in taking better care on the road.

“And if you have a family member or friend who you think shouldn’t be driving because they’ve been drinking, stop them and take away their keys. If you know someone who likes to go faster than the speed limit, have a conversati­on with them. Tell them you care about them and you’re worried about the potential consequenc­es of their actions.”

“If we all make an effort, then together we can turn things around. We have a target to reduce death on the road by 40 per cent by 2030, and that will truly take a collective effort from every road user in New Zealand. Police and our partners are committed to playing our parts. We are asking that our communitie­s do the same,” Bruce says.

Waka Kotahi director of land transport, Kane Patena, says the deaths will have a devastatin­g impact on the families and wider communitie­s of those who have died.

“Tragically, this weekend’s events are not isolated, but rather part of a huge public health issue which affects Aotearoa all throughout the year. For every person killed on our roads, another seven sustain serious injuries, many of which are life-long

and debilitati­ng.

“It’s time that as a country we stopped accepting that a certain amount of death and serious injury is just the price we pay for our mobility. New Zealand’s Road to Zero strategy is based on the belief that no one deserves to die or be seriously injured on our roads, even when they make mistakes.

“Deaths and serious injuries are preventabl­e, as individual­s we all have a responsibi­lity to follow the road rules, wear our seatbelts and avoid driving while impaired or distracted.

“In our role as a government agency, reducing crashes is about much more than just how we drive — it’s about making all the different parts of the system safer — roads, vehicles, speeds, and people. We are committed to playing our part,” Kane says.

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