Road safety to 2010

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Appendix 1: Developing Road Safety to 2010

Road Safety to 2010 was developed using a strongly analytical and evidence–based approach, and incorporating extensive consultation. The first step involved evaluating New Zealand’s existing road safety programme to find out what was working and where there was room for improvement. The National Road Safety Committee also identified successful interventions in other countries. In all, they investigated and considered some 20 potential interventions, taking the New Zealand context into account.

Analytical tools, including computer models, were also used to predict the safety benefits we could realistically achieve from these interventions, and estimated the cost of implementing them. This work led us to propose a realistic, achievable goal using different combinations of the 20 interventions. The National Road Safety Committee then developed three scenarios to achieve the goal, all backed up by education but using different approaches and mixes of interventions.

These were:

• an enforcement option
• an engineering option
• a mixed option combining both enforcement and engineering interventions.

The three months of extensive consultation that followed revealed that:

• most respondents strongly endorsed the proposed goal. Where they did not, they wanted more safety, not less
• there was broad support for the mixed option, with an emphasis on getting drivers to comply with existing and proposed road rules — to ‘hit offending drivers hard’ and consistently. Respondents said this should be backed up by a long–term programme of road safety education, along with targeted engineering projects to improve network safety
• respondents were concerned at the cost of road improvements. Most respondents wanted any additional cost to be covered by taxes already levied on road users, but they accepted that, if this were not possible, road users should pay through a system of user charges
• respondents felt regional targets would foster ‘ownership’ of the strategy, and that having cyclist and pedestrian targets would ensure their safety needs were considered. Maori and Pacific peoples generally sought more attention for their communities, but not separate targets.

After taking the consultation findings into account and incorporating the new direction for transport in the New Zealand Transport Strategy, we developed an initial package of interventions that would add value to the existing road safety programme. The strategy will be regularly reviewed and evaluated throughout its life, enabling further refinements and enhancements as we work towards achieving New Zealand’s road safety goals for the decade.

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Page created: 17 October 2003