Crash Statistics Show Where Kaipara Drivers Fail

Watch how you take that corner, be aware of road conditions and don’t drink and drive.

This is the message Northland Road Safety Forum wants Kaipara drivers to take on board following the release of statistics showing these as the major road safety issues in Kaipara.

The figures, involving crashes reported to police, show that 23 people died on Kaipara’s local roads and state highways between 2004 and 2008 and estimate the social cost of crashes in 2008 alone at more than $50 million. During the five years 451 injury crashes were reported, plus a further 571 not involving injury. Saturday was the worst day. December produced the worst statistics for state highways while April was the most crash prone month on local roads. About one third occurred at night.

Between 2004 and 2008, 55 percent of injury crashes in Kaipara, resulting in 12 fatalities, 74 serious injuries and 273 minor injuries, occurred on bends with a large number involving hitting an object like a bank, pole, drain, fence or tree. One third of these involved speed too high for the conditions and almost 70 percent of drivers were male. Fifteen to 19-year-olds were most at risk on local roads while on state highways 20 to 24-year-olds produced the worst statistics.

Conditions, like slippery roads and surfaces in poor condition were factors in 28 percent of crashes on bends. Drivers over the legal limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol to 100 milliliters of blood are 16 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Alcohol affected drivers were involved in 26 percent of fatal and serious crashes, including seven fatalities. More than 80 percent were male with 9.00pm to midnight the worst time.

In 2008, 79 of the year’s 105 injury crashes occurred on ‘rural’ roads with a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour or more. Numbers of reported minor crashes have been steadily increasing from 29 in 1999 to 80 in 2007, possibly as a result of better reporting. However they fell back to 50 last year but Northland Road Safety Forum is concerned that the 2008 figures may be a result of reluctance to report accidents to the police rather than an actual reduction in incidents.

The forum is also concerned that two people have already died on Kaipara roads in 2009 and that the statistically worst months are still to come. Kaipara Road Safety Coordinator Gillian Archer says the report has a timely message for drivers.

“Every serious crash and death is a tragedy in our community,” she says. ”Being a small rural based district means everyone knows each other.

“So many of our crashes occur close to our homes and are a result of a moment’s inattention, inappropriate speed, or a bad decision to drink and drive. Please take greater care on our roads - make the good choice to slow down on bends and to be a sober driver.”