Candor Trust Press Release

Fatal child abuse mostly by car battery

While the world has been captivated by the psychopathic cruelty some New Zealander's show to children, the commonest form of child homicide and it's cause remains below the radar.

Child killing via direct violence which often involves drugs or alcohol effects only 1 kid in 100,000 yearly. The top cause of external injury death and child mortality is road crash at 4 kids in 100,000.

A great proportion of this is harm is dealt to passenger occupants of impaired drivers -approx 30 of the 40 child child occupant deaths a year occur because of a wasted "care-giver" driving. Nb. Value includes Police estimate for "drug related".

Candor supports Alcohol Health Watch which has highlighted that if identified substance abusers were to be appropriately afforded proper inpatient treatment for addiction, then our child abuse rates would likely improve.

Even as a woman called Karina Coburn who was previously convicted of drink driving while transporting a young child two years ago, again faces fresh charges of drink driving the shameful impaired child driver norm is overlooked.

In late 2005 Coburn offered up hard luck stories to the Court, after a decent truck driver was forced to jack knive his truck to stop her erratic journey through King Country, out of concern for a two years old girl aboard.

She received a six month disqualification then and an offer of ongoing support from the trucky and outpatient counselling, but again stands charged with DUI atop one count of careless driving.

Some U.S Police regard that speeding and driving impaired could be offences that would in some scenarios justify use of deadly force, to protect the Public.

But New Zealands judiciary doesn't take such matters seriously - it's typically unconstructive sentences in the absemce of alcohol and drug treatment facilities speak loudly enough for themselves.

Candor Trust recently submitted regarding the Criminal Justice reform bill that softening sentences for impaired drivers, as Judges have requested, is unwise.

The legal eagles now wish to eliminate the twenty eight day stand down period before disqualified drug or drink drivers can get exemptions.

Candor advised The Childrens Commission months ago that children are slain by impaired drivers (often recidivists) at many times the rate they die from "hands on" cruelty.

It's alarming that senior CYPFS social workers are unable to say whether this would be classed as abuse (as in some jurisdictions), or as neglect.

And hard statistics regarding numbers of CYPFS child contacts killed by drunk drivers aren't readily available, though crash death numbers are note worthy.

No response has yet been received from the Children's Commissioner about concerns raised by Candor Trust about impaired care givers driving childen.

The Commission may be attending to more pressing or populist issues, such as establishing an anti smacking vibe. The lack of interest in the leading cause of child mortality from that quarter is perplexing.

Candor maintains that a charge of aggravated DUI with extra special sentences is needed to shame and deter alcoholic and drug addicted individuals from jeopardising minors.

This would be the single most powerful way to reduce New Zealands high rate of child abuse deaths. It would also send a timely message that children are valued.

Statistics provided by the Ministry of Transport to Candor Trust show that it's the impaired drivers who are taking kids out before their time, not speeders.

Slowing impaired drivers down with mass speed campaigns, as Government has been advised to do by Economists in papers, is really a disingenious response.

The message delivered by current sentences is clear. Speeding won't be tolerated, but slow erratic impaired driving, even with kids aboard is more than kosha.

Perhaps this is why Kiwi kids are much much more likely to be dispatched by DUI drivers on Pot, P or the Plonk, than by a cowardly basher at home.

ENDS

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