Tackling speed

Driving too fast for the conditions was the major cause of fatalities on Thames-Coromandel’s roads in recent years, the Road Safety Committee and District Transport Forum heard this week.

There were 21 deaths in the Thames-Coromandel district between 2003 and 2007 and speed was found to have caused 60 percent of these according to analysis by Police.

Thames-Coromandel District Council has recently purchased a speed trailer, which can be towed to any site in the district and used to warn drivers to slow down. The trailer analyses the speed of oncoming cars and will flash a message for cars to slow down when they are going above the speed limit.

The trailer also graphs their speed and can keep up to 8,000 records, noting the time and speed at which the vehicle was travelling. Roading Manager Steve Bremner has a schedule for the trailer’s use in schools and the council will liaise with Police to find speeding hot spots.

“The trailer also contains a ‘Variable Sign Message Board’ which allows us to post important messages to motorists, such as road closures in times of flood,” said Mr Bremner. The trailer cost $22,000 – half of which was funded by Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

Sergeant Jim Corbett, officer in charge of the Strategic Traffic Unit in the Thames-Hauraki Police area, said Police are very supportive of the trailer being purchased for Thames-Coromandel. “It will hopefully help educate drivers to slow down and obey the speed limits. It’s going to let people know that they are going too fast and once it’s removed from the area we’ll be enforcing to ensure people stick to the speed limits. We’re out to reduce the crashes and the severity of injuries,” he said.

Caption: TCDC Roading Manager Steve Bremner shows the new speed trailer to members of the Service Delivery Committee Cr Dirk Sieling, Deputy Mayor Adrian Catran and Cr Noel Hewlett (Chairperson).