Labour targets slow drivers

WELLINGTON - A Labour government would do away with gory drink-drive television adverts to focus on other traffic hazards, such as slow drivers.

Speed and alcohol - targeted in the ads - contributed to only a third of the road toll, said Labour's transport spokesman, Harry Duynhoven, who released the party's transport policy yesterday.

"We are not going to ignore booze and speed, but there are a bunch of other things to focus on.

"If we put the money that goes into those ads, for example, into ads instructing people about how to properly turn right on to a merging road, how to give way properly, how to enter a roundabout properly ... we would make a difference."

Labour would target slow drivers, who were often not aware they were a problem.

"Labour will require slower drivers to pull over and let other cars pass ... If you look at the statistics, head-on crashes on our roads are almost endemic."

Predictably, road safety was the key to the policy, which also covered air and sea travel.

Mr Duynhoven said that a road toll equal to a 737 aircraft crashing every two months, with no survivors, caused suffering and placed a huge burden on the health system and society.

Among the Labour proposals were reducing blackspots, putting up road safety barriers, increasing passing lanes, promoting the use of hands-free devices for cellphones, giving incentives to safe drivers, testing rumble strips on main highways before sharp corners, and spending revenue from speed camera fines on road safety.

Labour rejected National's "market-driven" roading reforms. Road management would remain with bodies accountable to local communities.

"Labour opposes commercialising roads, and opposes running them for profit. We will not toll or commercialise or sell public roads," Mr Duynhoven said.

There were no plans to reverse National's driver licensing regime.

Mr Duynhoven would not put a price on the policy, but said $600 million in road-user charges went into the Government's general account.

The Minister of Transport, Maurice Williamson, said the major issue facing the roading system was making sure there was enough money for development.

"[Labour's] only solution is to charge road users more to prop up the existing system where roading is paid for out of rates, road-user charges and petrol excise," Mr Williamson said.

"This means spending will always lag behind demand."

- NZPA