Shock ads to be supplemented with educational ones

By KEVIN TAYLOR, political reporter

Blood and guts-style road safety advertising will be supplemented by new advertising aimed at educating drivers instead of just scaring them, says Transport Minister Paul Swain.

He told an Automobile Association driver education conference in Wellington yesterday that there would be a subtle change of direction in road safety advertising.

"The blood and guts ads have been very effective but there is a feeling that we are now reaching the point of diminishing returns as viewers become de-sensitised to the harrowing images."

While the advertisements would continue they would be supplemented by new ones aimed at educating drivers instead of just scaring them.

Mr Swain said New Zealand was making excellent progress in tackling the road toll. Last year's toll of 404 road deaths was the lowest since 1963.

"This is despite an almost tripling of our vehicle fleet and a huge increase in the number of kilometres travelled over that period."

He said the reduction in the toll was strongly linked to the full roll-out of the highway patrol and greater productivity in road policing.

Recent statistics showed there had been a 28 per cent reduction in deaths on the state highway network, from 266 in 2001 to 191 last year.

Mr Swain said that the Road Safety Strategy to 2010 was central to efforts at lowering the road toll. It aimed to build on the success of a national road safety plan which produced good results during the 1990s.

The strategy focused on three key issues - engineering, education and enforcement. However, he warned of the need to avoid complacency. As of Tuesday the road toll this year was 153, compared with 138 at the same time last year.

Meanwhile, Mr Swain said he would visit Victoria later this month to look at what that state was doing in drink-driving and speeding initiatives.

He would also attend a meeting of Australian state Transport Ministers.

Herald Feature: Cutting the road toll