Auckland City strengthens its road safety awareness for children
Auckland City Council will be emphasising its commitment to road safety awareness during the upcoming TRAFINZ national
road safety conference*.
One of its main concerns is road safety for children: 84 children have died on New Zealand roads in the past five years.
Of the 206 road crashes involving 5-14 year olds on Auckland City roads in the past five years, 62% involved children
travelling to and from school.
“Every year in New Zealand around 300 child pedestrians are injured seriously enough to be admitted to hospital,” says
Councillor Greg McKeown, Transport Committee chairperson. “It is not acceptable. We need to reinforce our children’s
safety. We hope that our message will be heard during TRAFINZ and that the situation will improve through changes in
driver awareness and behaviour and new road rules where appropriate. It is our responsibility to protect our children,
so let’s make the difference.”
Auckland City hopes that more effective road safety promotional campaigns will help to educate drivers and change their
behaviours.
To underline the council’s strong position on this matter, a special event will take place on Queen Street outside the
Town Hall at 11.30am, Monday 11 August 2003. Media are invited to attend. One hundred and sixty eight children from
Gladstone Primary School will give a dramatic performance to demonstrate the reality of dangers to children on our roads
and to highlight the 84 child fatalities.
“Gladstone Primary School runs a very successful Walking School Bus programme supported by the school and active
parents, Infrastructure Auckland funding, and their local Eden-Albert Community Board which has funded some substantial
safety upgrades on local streets. Joint efforts like this not only increase safety and a sense of safety in communities
but also have a positive influence in terms of general road safety awareness,” says Councillor McKeown.