A road safety campaign for the Christmas break will target people not wearing seatbelts, driving too fast for conditions, driving while drunk or tired, and using cellphones.
The "We Want You Here For Christmas" campaign was launched today by Police Minister Stuart Nash and Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter, partly in response to the 2017 road toll of 339 deaths, the highest since 2010, with a month in the year still to go.
Last month Genter held an urgent meeting with police and transport officials to look at ways improve road safety, which she has said is her highest priority in her portfolio.
The focus will be on changing people's behaviour around four main contributors of trauma on our roads: people not wearing seatbelts, going too fast for the conditions, driving drunk, drugged, or tired, and being distracted by things like cellphones.
Police figures show from 2012 to 2015, the number of road deaths from not wearing seatbelts were in the 50s each year, but spiked to 91 deaths in 2015 and 100 deaths last year.
A Ministry of Transport survey last year found that 38 per cent of drivers had used a cellphone while driving.
Nash said the Government would increase funding to police to better handle road safety - but drivers also had to take responsibility.
"More people have died on our roads this year than any year since 2010 so something has to change," says Nash.
"Police can't be everywhere. Drivers need to be present, take note of the conditions around them and drive accordingly – with 100 per cent concentration."
Genter said a death on the road was a tragedy.
"These crashes are taking away people's family, their friends, their loved ones. We are losing members of our communities.
"I strongly encourage every New Zealander to heed the advice and be responsible every time they get behind the wheel."