Western Bay road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter is urging people to slow down, belt up and put down their phones. Photo / NZME
Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty’s 2024 road toll stands at a record low of six deaths, and the district’s road policing manager is warning drivers anyone caught going even slightly over the speed limit will be ticketed.
This is the lowest road toll in the Western Bay of Plenty police district since 2012 and compares with eight deaths last year, 15 deaths in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and a whopping 20 fatalities in 2020.
Among the 2024 six people who died this year (as of December 19) is 64-year-old pedestrian Harkewal Singh of Tauranga, who suffered critical head injuries after being struck by a car on The Lakes side of Pyes Pa Rd near Marshall Ave, Barkes Corner on December 12.
Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter told the Bay of Plenty Times the incident happened just before 9.10pm on a dark, rainy night as Singh crossed the road about 100m from his home.
Singh was flown from Tauranga Hospital to Waikato Hospital in the early hours of December 13 and died on December 16, he said.
The Serious Crash Unit was still investigating the crash.
Hunter said as of December 19, the district had the lowest number of road deaths in 12 years and he and his team were working hard to “keep it that way”.
“I believe the road toll has come down because we’ve been really thrashing the message that zero tolerance will be shown to anyone caught speeding.
“The up to 10km/h [over the limit] speed tolerance is no longer there and even those caught doing 1 km/h over the speed limit will be pinged.”
Hunter said he made no apologies for cracking down on people’s speed and other risky behaviours, including not wearing a seatbelt or talking on mobile phones and driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
“Even going slightly over the speed limit increases the chance of having a crash. As more speeding drivers are nabbed earlier that reduces the risk of lots more serious crashes and fatalities happening in the district.
“It’s obvious that driving at lower speeds means less damage, fewer serious crashes, less likelihood of fatalities and ultimately more lives saved.”
Speeding was one of the common factors in many fatal and serious injury crashes, he said.
“Some of the speeds we’re seeing people doing is horrendous. It flabbergasts us that those drivers think it’s okay to travel at more than 80km/h in a 50km/h area.”
Hunter said this included a driver clocked at 115km/h on a mobile speed camera driving on Fraser St, Tauranga on December 18.
The road policing data for the nine months to September 30 this year showed nearly 26,500 drivers were caught speeding on Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty roads and those drivers racked up a total of $1.96 million in speeding tickets.
Last year 26,618 drivers were pinged in the district for the same offence and collectively incurred a total of $2.24m infringement notices.
Hunter said there was no excuse for any driver to endanger their lives and those of others with unsafe behaviours.
“We need people to make a major attitudinal change in the way they view speeding and other risky driving habits. And we want people to remember they’re driving a lethal weapon that can cause irreparable damage to people’s lives in the event of a crash.
“These types of poor decision-making can lead to needless loss of life and heartbreak for the families and friends of those seriously injured or killed.”
Hunter said wearing a seatbelt should be an automatic action when anyone gets into a motor vehicle.
“There are many people who would still be alive today if they weren’t flung out of the vehicle because they were unrestrained.”
Hunter said as the summer holidays approached, he had a simple message.
“Just don’t take the risk with your life, your passengers’ lives and other road users'. It’s just not worth it, do the right thing.”
He said the toll serious injury crashes and fatalities had on the police and emergency services responders cannot be overestimated.
“It never gets any easier, especially when one of our team has to visit a crash victim’s whānau and tell them the worst news. ”
Superintendent Steve Greally, the national director of road policing, has urged all road users to “play their part” to ensure safety on our roads this festive season.
Greally said 21 people lost their lives in road crashes across the country during the Christmas holiday period last year and road safety partners aimed not to have a repeat of that figure this year.
“Road deaths and serious injuries are preventable. Motorists should expect to see police anytime and anywhere to try and ensure that everyone reaches their destination safely. Our stance on safety remains straightforward.
“The best way to avoid being ticketed is not to speed, not to drive drunk or under the influence of drugs. It’s that simple. We will unapologetically continue with our record levels of breath testing and issue infringements as part of our prevention and enforcement role.
“Let’s make it a summer to remember on our roads for all the right reasons,” Greally said.
December 16: Pedestrian Harkawel Singh, 64, died in Waikato Hospital after being struck by a car on The Lakes side of Barkes Corner in Greerton on December 12.
August 23: A Waihi resident died after a two-vehicle collision on Pahoia Rd, Whakamarama.
August 7: Joanna McMillan, 51, of Gisborne, died after the car she was travelling in collided with a petrol tanker on Takitimu Drive, Tauranga.
July 25: Karen Brown, 67, of Tauranga died after a collision between her motorbike and a car on Maleme St, Greerton.
July 8: Andrew John Blakeborough, 39, of Morrinsville, died after a crash involving a car and a truck on SH2 at Pukehina.
February 24: Brendon Bourne, 55, from Pyes Pa, died after a two-vehicle head-on collision at Tanners Point on SH2 between Katikati and Waihī.
* as of December 19
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.Pol