Road toll leaps up in a summer of death on the roads

Ben Eades and the driver of the car he was in both died in a car crash north of Auckland in December. Photo / supplied

Police and road safety advocates are appalled that after a deadly six weeks, this year's road toll is tracking up towards more than 400.

Last year 379 people died on New Zealand roads.

By February 13 - just 44 days into this year, 50 people had been killed by road crashes. This was 10 more than during that time last year. It was also more than for the same period in each of the nine previous years.

The average number of deaths across the decade at the start of the year period was 39. The lowest tally was 28, in 2013.

"We are already 10 ahead at the start of the second month," said Superintendent Steve Greally, the national manager of road policing.

If that continued for the rest of the year, the road toll would exceed 400. "What a disgrace for our country."

Greally said hot, dry conditions earlier in summer would have attracted more motorcyclists onto the roads. For the period to February 13, eleven motorcycle riders and two pillion passengers had died this year, compared with just two riders last year and eight in 2016.

"When you look at what can happen when a motorcyclist is involved in a crash, it's always the motorcyclist that loses; you don't have much protection."

Automobile Association spokesman Dylan Thomsen said that after the annual road toll dropped to 253 in 2013 - its lowest level since 1950, when 232 people died - it was hoped it would go below 200 by 2020.

"Now we are looking at more like a level of 400 deaths a year, which is horrific."

Thomsen said safety gains would come from getting everyone always to use a seatbelt and encouraging drivers to keep updating their skills. Most motorists do belt up, but of all drivers and passengers who died in a vehicle crash, around one-third were not using a seatbelt.

"Along with that it's about having better quality roads - barriers, rumble strips, wider shoulders, better intersection design - so that when somebody doesn't get it 100 per cent right it doesn't lead to a fatal crash."

And our comparatively old car fleet - New Zealand's cars are on average aged 14, compared with 10 for Australia's - puts motorists at increased risk of serious harm in a crash.

Bereaved mother Kay Moore, whose son Ben Eades died in a crash in December, is appealing for people to be safe in cars: always wear a seatbelt, never drink and drive, drive to the conditions and maintain a car in good shape.

Ben, 25, died at Dairy Flat north of Auckland when a car collided with another vehicle at an intersection at night. The car in which Ben was a passenger was driven by Minna Haques, 15, who also died.

Ben had a brother and a sister, three half-siblings and a step-brother. He was the eldest.

Moore said she had not yet been given findings of the police investigation so did not know details of the crash.

"We are coping. I just have to tell myself, 'Be positive'.

"Ben would want us to be getting on with life and enjoying it, not upsetting ourselves. He was very carefree."

Asked about Ben's funeral, his mother said: "It went amazingly well. There were people out the door. I think he touched a lot of people's hearts, even if he didn't realise he had."

Road toll January 1-February 13:
2009 - 47
2010 - 49
2011 - 37
2012 - 43
2013 - 28
2014 - 30
2015 - 36
2016 - 42
2017 - 40
2018 - 50