Speed, booze laws to drive down the toll

13 Oct, 2003 11:51 AM3 mins to read

By SCOTT MacLEOD

Speeding and boozing drivers will find life increasingly tough as the Government tries to save more than 100 lives a year on the roads.

Officials have written a blueprint to cut road deaths which seems to back two controversial plans - to lower the speed tolerance on police radars from 10km/h to 5km/h and drop the legal blood-alcohol limit per 100ml of blood from 80mg to 50mg.

Such changes could be law by June next year, yesterday's Road Safety to 2010 paper suggested.

The paper, written by seven agencies, was released with the backing of Transport Minister Paul Swain.

It contained no surprises, was short on detail and was labelled "insipid" by the Automobile Association.

But it gave broad hints about changes motorists could expect within the next year.

These include more booze-buses, upgraded police radars, compulsory road safety education in schools, a crackdown on truck safety, more traffic police for Auckland and the use of cheap cable median barriers.

Though the report did not specifically mention lowering the blood-alcohol limit, it said the current level was "alarmingly high".

The paper said each speed reduction of 1 per cent would cut deaths by 4 per cent.

Officials have proposed halving the speed tolerance level to 5km/h.

Mr Swain said the Government would unveil laws to tackle speedsters and repeat drink-driving criminals in December.

The AA said it was glad the strategy had finally been published, but "extremely disappointed with its insipid content".

Association policy manager Jayne Gale said it was little more than a watered-down version of a draft issued three years ago.

She said a figure of $200 million a year for road engineering mentioned in the draft was not in yesterday's blueprint.

"No serious progress can be made without raising more money. However, the minister can't increase petrol tax again because the public has a justified belief it is being swindled."

The strategy was written with the backing of the Accident Compensation Corporation, Land Transport Safety Authority, Local Government New Zealand, Ministry of Transport, police, Transfund and Transit NZ.

It aims to cut annual road deaths from 400 to 300 and injuries from 6670 to 4500.

The toll for this year was 361 yesterday - 47 more than this time last year.

Slashing the toll

The eight action areas:

* Engineering safer roads.

* New and better education.

* Safety for pedestrians/cyclists.

* Get tough with repeat offenders.

* Fight drink-driving.

* Lower speeds.

* Safety belts.

* Safer vehicles.