Many deaths 'preventable'

Authorities are lamenting a horror first three months on southern roads, as 13 deaths make it the deadliest start to a year since 1995.

Figures from the Ministry of Transport show seven people have died on roads in Otago and six in Southland, the worst road toll for the period since eight people died in Otago and five in Southland 22 years ago.

Southern district road policing manager Inspector Tania Baron said it was a bad start to the year made worse by many of the deaths being preventable, with excess speed and poor decisions to blame.

Motorists were not getting the safety message, as evidenced by 40 people being ticketed at checkpoints in Dunedin yesterday in about an hour and a-half.

''Half were for exceeding 100kmh, with the remainder relating to drivers failing to wear their safety belts, using mobile phones and driving through red lights,'' Insp Baron said.

''Please always wear your safety belts and drive to the conditions. We only get one chance at life; this is not a dress rehearsal.''

The effects of fatal crashes - on the families of those involved, the members of the public who came across them and even the police officers who dealt with them - was immense.

''It's an awful situation for anyone to encounter,'' Insp Baron said.

''Emergency service staff are trained to deal with these incidents but it still takes its toll. The loved ones lost forever. The silence at the scene is surreal.

''I came across, by chance, a fatal crash earlier this year off duty. I went straight into duty mode and did what I needed to do. But afterwards, I kept playing the scene over and over in my head wondering what else I could have done.

''It is a terrible thing for a member of the public to come across, as they aren't trained to deal with this, and neither they should be.

''I drive these roads, my family travel these roads and I want nothing more than them to be safe.

''A few inches of paint in the middle of the road is not going to keep me or my family safe; good driver decisions are the only thing that will do that.''

'EVERY FIGURE A LIFE LOST'

Insp Baron's comments were echoed by Ministry of Transport acting land transport safety manager Anita Balakrishnan.

''The road toll is not just a number - every figure represents a life lost and family, friends and communities grieving,'' she said.

''Speed and alcohol feature prominently as contributing factors to crashes at all times of the year.

''It's frustrating to see people continuing to die in crashes where speed and alcohol have caused the crash, as these deaths are so avoidable.

''We also saw over 100 road users die in crashes where they weren't wearing a seatbelt last year.''

Insp Baron said it was incumbent on all motorists to keep others safe.

''Speed is one of the major contributors to crashes in the Southern district and I don't just mean speed greater than the speed limit. What I am talking about is speed that is too great for the conditions.

''A lot of our roads may be signposted as 100kmh but in reality, the speed limit should be no greater than 70kmh. Driver behaviour is only part of the problem,'' Insp Baron said.

Drivers' decisions were also leading to deaths.

''What makes me really sad is that most of these are preventable,'' she said.

''A lot of the behaviours that have resulted in crashes were conscious decisions that someone chose to make. Drinking before driving and not wearing your safety belt don't just happen by accident - it's a choice.''

Insp Baron said police were working with other agencies to reduce deaths and serious injuries on New Zealand's roads.

''There are a number of prevention initiatives that we have implemented in recent years,'' she said.

''Driver licensing programmes to assist drivers through the process of obtaining their licences. Seminars for school students around the importance of making good choices around driving. Checkpoints with Plunket educating parents about child restraints.

''On top of this, we have dedicated staff on our roads everyday focusing on risk behaviours."

Last year's provisional road toll was the worst since 2001 with 20 people dying on roads in Otago and 16 in Southland. Nationally, it was the worst toll since 2010 and the first-quarter toll this year is also the worst since 2010.

''People pay a high price for mistakes made on the road, particularly those that are not at fault in crashes and lose their lives due to the actions of others,'' Ms Balakrishnan said.

''The recent increase in the road toll reinforces that we need to continue our focus on improving the safety of our roads and educating road users about the need to stick to the laws that are in place for their safety. Road safety is everyone's responsibility.''

The Government had taken steps to address some issues with its $600million ''Safer Roads and Roadsides'' programme announced last year, Ms Balakrishnan said.

Legislation to make the use of alcohol interlocks mandatory for serious and repeat drink-drivers was before Parliament, and more than 90 high-risk sites on rural state highways across 14 regions - including Otago and Southland - would undergo safety improvements.

State Highway 1 from Oamaru to Dunedin, Dunedin to Fairfield, Mosgiel to Balclutha and Invercargill to Motu Rimu Rd, as well as SH88 from Dunedin to Port Chalmers, were at present the focus of projects under the programme.

timothy.brown@odt.co.nz