DANGER ZONE SH3

WORRY: A number of accidents along State Highway 3 from Palmerston North to Ashhurst are centered around this intersection at Roberts Line. PHOTO: ALECIA ROUSSEAU

Two fatalities and dozens of near misses have put State Highway 3 from Palmerston North to Ashhurst into a list of the country's most dangerous highways.

The Automobile Association (AA) released their annual election calls last week, alongside a list of dangerous roads compiled by the NZ Transport Agency.

AA is calling for politicians to commit to 10 acts they believe will prevent further carnage. These include a focus on seatbelts, drink and drugged drivers, safe passing and improvements to regional roads.

AA media spokesman Dylan Thomsen said State Highway 3 from Palmerston North to Ashhurst was a two-star regional highway - out of a possible five-star safety rating.

"Lifting a road from a two-star to a three-star standard has been shown to halve the rate of injury crashes, even though the improvements aren't always that obvious to drivers."

He said the fact this stretch of road made it on to the list may have surprised some people.

"AA research has shown drivers often don't recognise the less-obvious risks that can make a big difference to the consequences of a crash. Two-star highways tend to have narrow road shoulders, narrow lane width, poor roadside conditions, a lack of safe overtaking opportunities and poorly designed intersections.

"All of these factors mean there's less margin for error so, if someone makes a mistake or does something reckless on the road, there is more chance of it ending up in a crash."

Mr Thomsen said there were multiple improvements that could be made to the road.

"Driver responsibility is a big part of road safety and people need to play their part in driving to the conditions around them but, we can do things to give them more of a safety buffer when things go wrong.

"Several of the crashes on this stretch of highway involved people turning into or out of side roads and we can better design intersections to improve visibility and the way vehicles merge into moving traffic.

"Having electronic warning signs ahead of intersections that alert traffic when vehicles are at a side-road have also shown big improvements in safety."

NZTA Regional Transport manager Ross I'Anson said they were working through a detailed business case of improvements for this stretch of road.

"A solution will be determined in December, at which point a funding request will be made for construction early in 2018."

He said the majority of accidents occurred around the intersections of Roberts Line, James Line and Stoney Creek Rd.

"Other than the construction of a left turn lane at the James Line intersection about two years ago, only maintenance works have been undertaken on this stretch of State Highway 3 over the past 10 years."

Mr Thomsen said things like having a wider shoulder and rumble strip allowed drivers who drifted to the left, a bigger chance of regaining control.

"Wider centrelines can reduce the chance of a head-on crash if a vehicle crosses the centreline and roadside barriers can prevent someone from crashing into a ditch or tree if they lose control."