Nineteen Kiwi kids killed on roads this year
Number of child fatalities in under six months already tops 2018 total
The number of children killed on New Zealand roads this year has already outstripped last year’s total.
As of Thursday, 19 children aged under 15 had died in crashes, according to Ministry of Transport data.
The figures showed 16 children died last year, and 10 of those deaths were between January 1 and June 12.
The 19th child to die on our roads this year was the victim of a shocking crash on State Highway 1, near Waiouru, on Thursday. The two-car collision injured at least seven others. The road was closed after the crash.
On the same 10km stretch of highway, four people had been killed and 16 seriously injured since 2000.
Caroline Perry, director of Brake New Zealand, a road-safety charity, said it was devastating when a child was killed on the roads.
“Every death on our roads is a tragedy but it is particularly heartbreaking when children are involved because their lives are cut tragically short.”
It was important for small children to be protected when travelling in cars.
“When children are passengers it’s about ensuring they’re placed in a child-seat, but correctly fitted, until they’re 148cm tall.
“The [seats] raise the child up so they’re better protected and they’ve got better protection from the sides of their seat.”
Eight of the children killed last year were aged between 10-14, six were passengers in cars, one was a cyclist and the other esd a pedestrian.
The age bracket between 0-4 years was second highest with five deaths, all passengers, and then those aged 5-9 years with three deaths, again all passengers.
Alex Campbell witnessed the Waiouru crash and helped pull people from the wreckage.
“I helped the driver out of his seat. I then proceeded to help his family out of the vehicle. There were two adults in the back, a mother and possibly grandmother,” he said.
“I had to pin the passenger front door open, bend the top of it and break the window to get an infant girl out of there.”
Another child and baby were also removed from the car. At least two people had been in the other vehicle, he said.
A Whanganui District Health Board spokesman said five of the seven victims of the crash were admitted to Whanganui Hospital.
They were three adults and two children — all from the same vehicle, he said.
“Last night we discharged a
24-year-old male, a 23-year-old female and a 3-year-old girl — all from the same family.
“At the hospital we have a 22-yearold female with a broken arm, and her baby. The baby has officially been discharged but as her mum is still in hospital we continue to care for the infant.”
Meanwhile, Perry said the safety messages that were hammered home frequently were still important to help protect young children who were walking or riding bikes near roads.
“There are mistakes that children make just because they’re children and they don’t deserve to pay for it with their lives,” she said.
“When we’re around schools, in communities, urban areas, parks and playgrounds [it pays] to be aware that there could be children around.
“That way if a child makes a mistake you’ve got the best chance of stopping or, if the worst happens and you’re involved in a collision, they have the best chance of surviving.”