Government has blood on its hands over driveway deaths, says campaigner
Another child is dead because the government has failed to take effective action over driveway deaths, says the car
review website dogandlemon.com.
Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an active road safety campaigner, says:
“New Zealand has the worst track record for driveway deaths in the developed world. The government’s policies have quite
clearly failed, yet the government still sticks to the same failed policies, ignoring proven solutions.”
According to credible studies, reversing cameras are the most effective way of eliminating the blindspots that often lead to driveway tragedies.
The US government has just made reversing cameras compulsory.
Matthew-Wilson says the New Zealand government is mainly trying to stop driveway deaths by telling people to drive
safely.
“30 years of international studies have shown that telling people to drive safely simply doesn’t work.”
“The facts speak for themselves. New Zealand’s toll of driveway deaths is the worst in the developed world, yet the New
Zealand government either does nothing or repeats the failed policies of the past.”
An average of five children a year die on driveways in New Zealand and a child is seriously injured about every two
weeks.
“A small child may be invisible to the driver of a reversing vehicle, even if the driver looks in all three mirrors.
The safest solution is a reversing camera, which shows the driver what’s behind his vehicle.”
“No one claims reversing cameras are foolproof. They’re simply the best, most cost effective way of preventing
reversing accidents. You can fit one to your car today and be safer tomorrow.”
“The government is currently investing $30 million on childproofing state house driveways. For $30 million you could fit
reversing cameras to more than 150,000 cars in poor areas.”
“Not only is the government’s policy very expensive, it will be limited in its effects and will take years to make any
difference.”
“A reversing camera provides far better protection than a driveway fence. Remember also, a reversing camera protects
children wherever the vehicle is driven, not just in the driveway at home.”
ENDS