ACC innocents scape-goated
Candor Trust
 
Candor Trust sympathises with the "innocent bystander" ACC staff now hung out to dry, for blow-outs they neither caused, nor had control over at any recent time.”It is vital that Board members are able to publicly discuss the challenges and provide the correct facts on why costs etc are increasing,” say the CTU, and Candor back them 100%.
 
Candor fondly looks back to earlier days when road safety programs were evidence based, and the ACC co-operated with our anti drug-driving efforts, but shiver at their forced issue retreat. Due to matters outside a select few ticketable issues being banned from major action, which matter was subject to a secrecy agreement that ACC staff were made to sign by the National Road Safety Committee.
 
It is no wonder at all that the current liabilities have experienced a major blowout, given that New Zealand is set to double the road crash hospitalisation target number for 2010.
The Motor Vehicle Accident account is ACCs largest and likely the fastest ballooning - but that is no accident as a lot of work has gone into pruning down the road safety program to a skeletal misguided remain.
 
Candor hopes the 4th IRTAD conference in Korea in September which focuses on the use of data for target setting and monitoring, will not be using as a template the negligent safety research program run by the NZ National Road Safety Committee, which strictly directs ACC's approach to road safety claim prevention.
 
The non consenting participation of NZ road users in transport research seems unlikely to align with established research ethics as  
research should involve no more than low risk to participants, and limited disclosure where used (NRSC secrecy) should be unlikely to affect participants adversely;
participants will not be exposed to an increased risk of harm as a result of the concealment
 
Overseas insurers are not prohibited from educating about matters other than speed, alcohol, seatbelts and intersections. Such as fatigue and drug driving. Vive le morte.
 
Instead of equalling the best road safety performers, a decade earlier, NZ has become the road safety slum of the first world. ACC Staff and their Board couldn't have succeeded in keeping claim levels manageable, given lunatic parameters were and are put on their operating environment, by the National Road Safety Committee research team.
 
It's a sad matter that ACC's rolling heads may not speak of this severe handicap, and have been set up to take it on the chin, while the NRSC smirks knowingly in the shadows. And will perhaps continue with the current mismanagement model.
 
There again, if the field opens to private compo insurers (with an interest in reduced claims) and the State monopoly is broken, NZers just may escape the influence of the NRSC. Allowing the entry of some real road safety education to compete with the ticket trifecta formula of speed, alcohol and belting up.. 
 
ENDS

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