More research needed on road traffic crash rate

More research needed on road traffic crash rate

Road lighting consultancy, Strategic Lighting Partners, strongly supports the call by Police Association President Greg O’Connor, that road safety policy should be based on science, especially since Ministry of Transport figures show that two in five road fatalities occur at night in New Zealand.

Strategic Lighting Partners Director Godfrey Bridger says in 2012 the Ministry of Transport published a study that showed that New Zealand’s risks from road injury at night was almost three times greater than road users overseas.

“We need research to find out why this is. A small fraction of the $500m of ACC levy cuts signalled by ACC Minister Nikki Kaye this week should be retained for critical road safety research,” he says.

"Alongside speed and driver education, Greg O’Connor identified road engineering as a significant factor in road crashes. In that area, it should be a concern for road traffic research that our road lighting is between 25% and 75% of the brightness levels used in Europe and USA and our risk of night-time road crash injury is three times higher,” says Godfrey Bridger.

ENDS

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