Tony Ryall National Police Spokesman
16 December 2003
Road safety package a backdown, not a crackdown
The National Party is awarding the Transport Minister the prize for the most embarrassing backdown of the year with the
release of his road safety package this afternoon.
"Paul Swain calls it a crackdown, it's a backdown - and a major one at that," says National's Police spokesman Tony
Ryall.
"The Transport Minister staked his reputation on a raft of road safety measures to crack down on speeding and drink
driving. National told him these would not work, and this package proves it.
"The plan to introduce hidden speed cameras, the plan to lower speed camera tolerance levels, the plan to slap demerit
points on speed cameras, the plan to lower the blood alcohol limit - he's abandoned the lot," says Mr Ryall.
"National warned the Minister all along that these sort of measures would divert police away from the real target, the
killer driver.
"What has changed with speed cameras? If the plan is to target known traffic blackspots, that's fine, but the record to
date shows that cameras are more about revenue collecting than road safety.
"Paul Swain's grasped at straws with this package, and missed. What he should have targeted is police visibility, driver
fatigue, seatbelts and tougher drink driving measures," says Mr Ryall.
Ends