PQ 11 Road Safety—Initiatives
11. Road Safety—Initiatives
[Sitting date: 31 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:11. Text is subject to correction.]
11. MIKE SABIN (National—Northland) to
the Minister of Transport : What has the Government done to
make roads safer for New Zealanders?
Hon GERRY BROWNLEE
(Minister of Transport): Last night Parliament passed the
Land Transport Amendment Bill. This bill comes into force on
1 December, and it will lead to a saving of lives. The
Government has also, under my associate Michael Woodhouse,
continued to press ahead with the Safer Journeys strategy.
We have introduced electronic stability control for new
cars, we have increased the driving age to 16, and we have
fixed the give-way rule. We have named the 100 riskiest
intersections in New Zealand and begun planning their
upgrades, and we have instituted a zero blood-alcohol limit
for under-20s. Importantly, in terms of results, we have
seen the last 3 years’ road tolls coming down to 50-year
lows. But there is still, with that large number of people
who die on the roads each year, a lot to be done.