Road toll still worse than Australia

Despite accidents like this one near Wairata on Boxing Day, the road toll is down

Despite carnage on the roads that has seen a shocking Christmas road toll, the number of people killed on New Zealand roads last year is the lowest in 42 years.

Although the yearly toll is going down, statistics show we are still not doing as well as Australia.

By December 31, 404 people had died in crashes, the lowest toll since 1963 when the country recorded 394 deaths.

But two deaths yesterday took the death toll over the official holiday period to 19.

The national road policing operations manager, Inspector John Kelly, said the holiday period so far was worse than last year but the overall road toll had still gone down over the past 10 years.

"We've had holiday periods as high as 35 and as low as 11," Mr Kelly said.

Many of the year's fatalities could be attributed to the same things police had been trying to teach drivers since a national road safety plan was put in place in 2000 - speed, alcohol and seat belts.

Land Transport New Zealand statistics show speed accounted for 32 per cent of fatal accidents and drink-driving contributed to 29 per cent.

Although our toll may be going down, Australia has had only 40 fatalities over the holiday period.

Statistics show New Zealanders also own more vehicles per head of population than Australians and kill more motorists.

Mr Kelly said New Zealand implemented its road safety programme only in 2000 but Australia had been working on it since 1990.

Statistics for 1990 show New Zealand had three people die for every 10,000 vehicles but this is now 1.3 people in 10,000 cars.

"I think that's a pretty remarkable achievement," Mr Kelly said.

The official holiday period ends at 6am on Wednesday.

In the latest accidents, a male pedestrian died after being hit by a car in New Plymouth.

Inspector Peter Stokes of police central communications said the fatality happened on Corbett Rd at Sentry Hill.

And early yesterday morning, one man was killed and two others were seriously injured when a car slammed into a ditch near Paeroa.

Sahib Singh, 30, of Katikati, a back-seat passenger, died at the scene when the car he and three others were travelling in failed to take a bend on State Highway 2 at Kerepehi around 5.30am.

The car crossed the centre line and went into a deep drain. Mr Singh was not wearing a seatbelt.

Senior Constable Graeme Adams said the men, aged between 19 and 30, were returning to Katikati from Auckland.

"The driver of the vehicle appears to have fallen asleep as there was no traffic on the road," he said.

On Saturday a quadbike rider was killed after the vehicle left the road near Ruawai, 30km southeast of Dargaville.

The vehicle and the body, which were partially submerged in mud, was found by an off-duty fireman.

The victim had still to be identified.

Also on New Year's Eve, Bill Manihera Wall, 12, of Waitahanui, 10km south of Taupo, was killed when he was hit by a car.

Police are still searching for two cars travelling close together just before the accident, one a dark-coloured, two-door sports car and the other a light-coloured saloon.

Bill's aunt, Donna Wall, said her nephew, known as Mani, had been wheeling a rubber tyre across State Highway 1 after swimming with his three cousins when it rolled away.

As he went to grab it he was hit by a southbound car.

Her daughter, whom she did not want named, watched as his body was thrown in the air. "She keeps saying there was no car there. She just remembers him flying."

As Mani lay on the ground, her daughter grabbed his bike and rode to her mother's to get help.

Mrs Wall says she was there within four minutes but Mani was dead.

His father was left holding him on the roadside.

The 12-year-old had just finished at Te Kura O Waitahanui and was looking forward to high school, Mrs Wall said.

"He loved insects, after it [the accident] happened we got home and there was a weta and a snail sitting in boxes on the bench."

She said Mani had been given a tent for Christmas so he could go camping to collect more insects or watercress.

FATAL ACCIDENTS: HOW NZ COMPARES

Country fatalities per 100,000 people
* America 14.66
* New Zealand 10.30
* Germany 9.30
* Japan 8.30
* Australia 8.21
* Canada 6.71
* Britain 6.10
* Sweden 6.00
Source: Monash University Accident Research Centre. 2003 figures.

HOW NEW ZEALAND COMPARES WITH AUSTRALIAN STATES:

Queensland
* Population, 3.7 million at 2002.
* Car registration, 2.8 million.
* Fatalities, 316 people January 2005 to November 2005.

Victoria
* Population, 5 million at 2003.
* Car registration, 3.6 million.
* Fatalities, 344, Jan to Nov 2005.

NSW
* Population, 6.5 million at 2000.
* Car registration, 4.2 million.
* Fatalities, 516, January 2005 to November 2005.

New Zealand
* Population, 4.1 million to date.
* Car ownership, 3.7 million.
* Fatalities, 404 to December 31, 2005.