NZTA welcomes Safer Journeys strategy

The NZ Transport Agency says today’s release of the Safer Journeys road safety strategy is an important step forward in the effort to reduce deaths and injuries on New Zealand roads over the next ten years.

“Road crashes inflict a terrible price on families and communities right across New Zealand. The loss of life and the debilitating consequences of serious injuries from road crashes is not something we should accept as a society. The Safer Journeys strategy recognises that reducing road deaths and injuries is a shared responsibility that will require improvements across all facets of transport – driver behaviour, vehicles, and roads,” said NZTA Chief Executive Geoff Dangerfield.

Mr Dangerfield said that as a member of the cross-government National Road Safety Committee (NRSC), the NZTA had worked closely with the Ministry of Transport, Police, ACC, Local Government NZ and other agencies to help develop the strategy, with a focus on creating a safe system by integrating all aspects of road safety:

• safer roads and roadsides
• safer vehicles
• safer speeds
• safer road users.

While Safer Journeys is a ten year strategy, Mr Dangerfield said the NZTA would be working with the other members of the NRSC this year to develop action plans to address the strategy’s priority areas. Measures to combat drink-driving and to improve the safety of young drivers would be the first priority, following consideration of specific measures in these areas by Cabinet over the next two months.

The Safer Journeys strategy, questions and answers and timelines are available at www.saferjourneys.govt.nz

ENDS

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