It's not news that we've got a pretty high road toll in New Zealand. There's a lot of great work being done, and we're tackling the problem from different angles, all the time. But last year, there were still 328 deaths on our roads.
Bernadine Oliver-Kerby makes a pretty controversial statement in this recent article, saying that we can't blame anyone else for this tragic waste of life and horrible suffering for so many families - we need to look at ourselves. It's a strong statement, but when we look at the causes of crashes, (40% due to drugs or alcohol, 24% because of speed and dangerous driving in 2016) we've got to conclude that extra policing or better roads or any of those measures.... aren't going to change bad decision making behaviour.
If there's one thing you do on the road this summer - think about how your driving affects the overall risk of our roads. Are you tired, distracted or under-the-influence? Are you treating your drive like a race? How's your temper - do you need a breather?
Pointing fingers is never fun, especially not when they're firmly pointed... at ourselves. But it may just save some lives.
We'd love to hear your responses to Oliver-Kerby's piece - and you can read the full article here.
