Editorial: Zero toll good sign police are on track

Photo / APN

Opinion

At a time when New Zealand has been beset by misfortune and mishap, the dramatic improvement in the road toll is something well worth celebrating. This Queen's Birthday was the first holiday weekend since records began in 1956 in which there were no fatalities. That, in turn, is part of a trend that should result in this year's toll being by far the lowest on record. At the end of the Queen's Birthday weekend, there had been 120 deaths on the roads, compared with 184 at the same time last year. That is a substantial saving in life, not to speak of the impact on the grieving families of the victims of each and every one of these always preventable deaths.

There is no one reason for this improvement. From a peak of 843 deaths in 1973, the road toll has been steadily declining, aided by better cars and roads.

It has helped, also, that sustained campaigns against drink-driving have proved successful. Speed, however, has remained a vexed issue. It is said to contribute to about a third of all fatal crashes, but that has not put paid to a cavalier disregard for the legal limits in too many cases.

The outcome has been some dreadful holiday-period tolls, not least that of Easter last year, when 12 people lost their lives. This prompted the police to warn that they would do "everything within our powers to stop you making poor and dangerous driving decisions".

Most practically, this sterner attitude led to the trial of a lower tolerance of speeding - down from 10km/h over legal limits to 4km/h - during holiday weekends.

Queen's Birthday weekend gave the strongest possible vindication for this policy. It also justified the police's decision last week to permanently lower the speeding tolerance for all holiday weekends to 4km/h. Some will question the impact of the policy, and cite other factors that may be playing a part in reducing the road toll. The higher price of petrol and the reduced number of cars on the road are probable ingredients.

But the Queen's Birthday weekend success points strongly to improved driver behaviour caused by the lower speed limits and an increased police presence to enforce them. It is worth noting that the heavy rain that blanketed the country on Saturday would normally have been the catalyst for several fatalities.

By and large, the public has accepted the policy, a state undoubtedly helped by the police approach. Some drivers travelling faster than the 4km/h tolerance level at the weekend were simply given warnings. That is only sensible. The police should use their discretion when road conditions mean breaching the limit by a small amount creates no danger. Indeed, their social contract with the public should rule out over-zealous application.

The Queen's Birthday weekend success means there will be calls for the 10km/h tolerance level to be reduced at all times. But the Automobile Association is right to suggest this would not be effective. A big part of the holiday-weekend policy is a heightened police visibility. This could not be sustained throughout the year. The danger is that a lack of enforcement of the 4km/h limit would result in it being it routinely flouted. Drivers would quickly revert to bad habits. The point of difference on holiday weekends, when traffic density means danger on the road is at a peak, is the best way of making a strong impact.

Indeed, strict laws and harsh penalties will never, by themselves, produce an improved popular attitude to speeding. Prudent policing and clever education campaigns must be part of the mix. The evidence of Queen's Birthday weekend and the road toll this year suggest the authorities are on the right track.