Road toll up but trend downwards

By ELIZABETH BINNING

The road toll has already passed last year's total, but statistics show that fewer people are dying on the road than five years ago.

Four hundred and thirty-one people have been killed on the road this year - 54 more than at the same time last year and 27 more than last year's final total.

However, Land Transport Safety Authority figures show that even with an increase this year, the toll is still lower than in the mid-1990s, when 582 people died.

Spokesman Andy Knackstedt said the actual toll was reduced even further when the country's growing population and rising number of cars were taken into consideration.

In 1990, when the population stood at 3.41 million and there were 2.2 million cars, 730 people died on the road. That equated to 21.4 deaths per 100,000 people.

This year, with an extra 590,000 people and 600,000 more vehicles on the road, the death rate stood at 11.6, less than half of what it was in 1990.

Mr Knackstedt said a number of successful measures, including the introduction of highway patrol officers and safety campaigns, had helped to cut the death toll.

This year's increase is attributed to a rise in the number of multiple fatalities and an exceptionally low toll last year.

Based on previous figures, Mr Knackstedt estimates that this year's toll will be between 460 and 470.

He said that would still be relatively low compared with the totals in previous years.

The Government wants the road toll reduced to no more than 300 by 2010.

To achieve that, it has launched a safety strategy which includes engineering, education and enforcement measures.

Last month an $11 million scratchcard scheme was unveiled as part of the education component. It aims to reduce the toll by educating motorists about the road code.

In October an engineering package was announced which will see an extra $47 million spent on improving accident black spots. The final part of the strategy will be announced this month.


Herald Feature: Road safety