Drive safely this long weekend

Horizons Regional Council is reminding drivers to travel at speeds that reflect their surroundings for a safer Queen’s Birthday weekend.

Horizons’ Road safety coordinator for Palmerston North, Desley Monks says it’s important for people to take precautions so that all road users can reach their destinations safely.

“The leading causes of crashes are: speed, not wearing a seatbelt, alcohol, driver fatigue, and driver distractions,” Mrs Monks says.

“The unfortunate truth is that even ‘good drivers’ make mistakes, so you need to stay vigilant and concentrate on what you are doing as well as looking out for what other road users are doing so you can react in an instant.”

“Patience and consideration of other road users is a topic that often comes up for discussion so if you are driving a slower vehicle, towing, or have a number of cars following you, it is much better to pull over and let them pass so they don’t become frustrated and start trying to overtake when it is not safe to do so.”

Mrs Monks also encourages drivers not to set off on a long journey if they have had a full day at work.

“Driver fatigue has been acknowledged internationally for a number of years as a contributor to fatal and serious injury road crashes and the issue is becoming increasingly noticeable in New Zealand,” Mrs Monks says.

In 2013, fatigue was identified as a contributing factor in 32 fatal crashes, 109 serious injury crashes and 427 minor injury crashes. These crashes resulted in 33 deaths, 153 serious injuries and 600 minor injuries (MOT Crash Facts Fatigue, 2014).

“If your eyes are feeling heavy, you are drifting over the centre line, your head is nodding, or you’re over correcting, this is a sure sign you are experiencing what is termed as ‘micro-sleeps’. These short sleeps are incredibly dangerous, and you need to pull over and take a break.”

The social cost, such as the loss of life, the quality of life, time off work, medical costs, legal costs and property damage when a crash occurs is huge. Not to mention the trauma families face when it is their loved one involved.

“If we all just think about our driving habits and how we can improve them, then the roads will be a safer place for us all to travel on.”

ENDS

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