Record July road toll achieved

The 30 fatalities on New Zealand roads over the past month is the lowest toll for July since 1965, the Land Transport Safety Authority announced today.

The previous lowest July toll was in 1979 when 33 people were killed. The average July toll over the past five years had been 37 deaths.

The Director of Land Transport Safety, David Wright, said that driving conditions were treacherous because of poor weather in many areas during the month, and drivers generally deserved credit for taking extra care.

“If the same sort of safety level achieved this July was replicated in all other months of the year then we would be looking at an annual road toll of around 360,” Mr Wright said. “Unfortunately that is not the case. We are looking at a road toll similar to last year of around 460. That’s evidence that there’s still a lot of work to do.”

“One thing that is great to see is the amount of energy being put into road safety at a community level. The introduction of the police highway patrols, recent proposals relating to vehicle safety and road rules, and the development of an overall road safety strategy for the next 10 years should also help to ensure we continue to head in the right direction,” Mr Wright said.

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