Failure to give way focus of new road safety ad campaign

Drivers who fail to give way at intersections are the target of a new Land Transport Safety Authority advertising campaign.

The first television advertisement in the new campaign will hit TV screens across the country on Sunday (1 June). The ad is designed to support on-road police enforcement by reminding drivers of the dangers of failing to give way.

Failure to give way is the third largest cause of deaths and injuries on New Zealand roads, behind speeding and drink-driving. In the last three years more than 120 people have been killed and over 1,000 seriously injured as a result of failure to give way crashes - not including those where alcohol and speed were also factors.

Director of Land Transport Safety David Wright said the new campaign is aimed at reducing those numbers. The television advertising, supported by billboards and cinema ads, is designed to raise public awareness of failure to give way as a serious road safety issue with serious consequences.

"Failure to give way at intersections is a major cause of death and injury on our roads, and these types of crashes often happen when drivers are careless, choose not to follow the road rules or take unnecessary risks. This campaign aims to change that type of behaviour by reminding people to take care at intersections and to think twice before pushing the rules."

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