Be a winner this weekend - drive safely

Police are hoping for a safe weekend on the roads this Labour Weekend and are reminding drivers of their lowered speed tolerance of 4km/hr.

"Lowering the tolerance has made a real difference to the number of deaths on the roads over the holiday periods", said Superintendent Paula Rose, National Manager Road Policing today.

It helps to keep drivers focussed on their speeds but also serves to lower speeds across the whole network.

Most New Zealand drivers are now familiar with the changes but we would like everyone to remember that this weekend we will also have a large number of tourists driving around the country who may be unfamiliar with our roads and our unique driving conditions.

New Zealand has shown our Rugby World Cup visitors such overwhelmingly positive hospitality and we hope that this will extend to good manners and courteous driving behaviour over the weekend," she said.

The lowered tolerance was introduced last Queen's Birthday after a disastrous Easter when 12 people died on the roads. Police now implement the lowered tolerance for all holiday periods and have seen a corresponding reduction in deaths on the roads during holiday periods.

"We know it has made a real difference, even if it is just ensuring that drivers think about their driving a little more consistently," said Superintendent Rose.

This weekend we do have the extra pressure of our visitors and I am urging all New Zealand drivers to keep this in mind. The slow or undecided driver in front of you may be someone who is grappling with unfamiliar roads and conditions.

I hope we can all extend our hospitality to ensure that these drivers are treated with courtesy and patience," she said.

We want everyone to be a winner this weekend and this means reducing the stress as well as reducing trauma and fatalities. Over this weekend along with the continued focus on speed, Police will also target following distances.

Holiday driving requires extra care and patience, and with so many more drivers on the roads, following distances become particularly important.

As a rule of thumb, you need: 20 metres which is five car lengths to stop at 50km, at 70km you need seven car lengths and at 100km you need ten car lengths.

"The road toll this year is very low so far, the lowest we have ever had and we want to keep in that way," said Superintendent Rose today.


For statistical information on holiday road toll:
http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/Land/landsafety/HolidayRoadToll/