Road Safety

The first road reports of the season from the Queenstown Lakes District Council warned drivers of the likelihood of ice, grit and general "winter conditions".

Police and roading authorities are not expecting chaos on the roads on Sunday when two new give-way rules are introduced. In fact, they are expecting the opposite - extra-cautious driving.

Last year had the second-lowest annual road toll for the Southern police district in the past 14 years, a result which has pleased the man in charge of policing the South's roads.

Even before the fatal crash at the intersection of State Highways 6 and 8B at Cromwell on Thursday, the New Zealand Transport Agency was in the process of cutting the speed limit from 100kmh to 80kmh.

A new guide highlights many ways to make the roads safer for motorcyclists, but riders want authorities to start with some of the smaller and easier solutions to ensure change does take place.

Otago Southland coroner David Crerar yesterday reiterated the need for drivers to wear a seatbelt and the dangers of drink driving when he released his formal findings in to the death of Leslie Armitage (23), of Tipperary, Ireland, who died near Poolburn on November 13, 2010.

One driver in two admits speed rules are the ones they are most likely to break in a Herald-DigiPoll survey.

Otago holidaymakers have been advised to be patient and plan for longer driving times when travelling to their destination to avoid adding to the rising national road toll.

A Dunedin trucking company is acting on its concerns about the visibility of cyclists around the city by giving away hundreds of high-visibility vests to cyclists.

Otago's appalling road-crash record will be scrutinised by transport and local council authorities in an attempt to change "shocking" driving habits in the region.