Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Zizi Sparks: Road safety key as school holidays prompt domestic travel

Zizi Sparks
By Zizi Sparks
Multimedia journalist·Bay of Plenty Times·
10 Jul, 2020 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

A stretch of State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati. Photo / File

A stretch of State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati. Photo / File

COMMENT

Driving through the gorge between Rotorua and Pyes Pa last weekend I was stuck behind a slowpoke.

I knew there was a slow vehicle bay ahead so waited to pass. The driver behind me wasn't so patient and passed on a blind corner.

Ten seconds later we passed a car coming the other way. If that driver had been 10 seconds faster, they and the passing driver could have collided.

Meanwhile, a mobile speed camera installed on the highway between Tauranga and Katikati in late June snapped 157 speeding drivers in the first five hours of operation, one going as much as 31km/h over the limit.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The stretch is considered one of New Zealand's most dangerous roads, having claimed at least 60 lives in the past 20 years. Safety improvements worth $101 million are being worked on but the speeding drivers are putting road workers at risk.

That's unacceptable and should be a reminder to keep to the limit, follow the road rules and be patient, especially as families travel around the country these school holidays.

The speed limit is just that, a limit. And it's a limit for a reason.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

According to the Ministry of Transport, between 2016 and 2018 driver speed was a factor in 29 per cent of fatal crashes, 20 per cent of serious injury crashes and 16 per cent of minor injury crashes.

Speed directly affects the outcome of a crash and even speeding between one and 10km/h over the limit is dangerous.

Discover more

Road workers fear for safety

23 Jun 09:04 PM

'Really scary': SH2 speeders putting roadworkers' lives at risk

26 Jun 11:00 PM

Plunket sees jump in families needing support in Western Bay

13 Jul 08:32 PM

Speed limit proposals around schools out for feedback

03 Aug 01:49 AM

As Covid-19 means an increase in domestic over international travel, more people are hitting the roads these school holidays. It's important to follow the rules. Getting to your destination alive is more important than trying to get to your destination quickly and not making it.

So next time you are driving past a worksite follow the speed limit. Imagine if that roadworker is your son or your daughter. You would not drive past them 31km/h above the limit.

And next time you drive past a speed sign, take a glance down at the odometer and make sure the figures match.

Don't be a statistic.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty TimesUpdated

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

11 Jul 02:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

11 Jul 12:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

Substation fault cuts power to thousands in Tauranga

11 Jul 03:01 AM

Power was cut to 21,529 customers at 12.30pm in Tauranga.

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

Theatre stalwart's triumphant return after PTSD recovery

11 Jul 02:00 AM
'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

'Moments are priceless': Silver Ferns stars reunite for TV reality show

11 Jul 12:00 AM
Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

Home-schooled students ride 755km to Parliament for equal sports access

10 Jul 11:07 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP