Keeping people safe on busy roads

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi encourages people to plan ahead for their summer road trips.

The agency says it can be easily done with the popular online holiday journeys traffic prediction tool  which shows predicted traffic flows over the Christmas and New Year holiday, based on previous years’  travel patterns.

“To get an understanding of what’s happening on the network, and for real time updates, please use our Journey Planner tool and allow extra time for your journey,” an NZTA spokesman said.

Drivers can check the Journey Planner on the NZTA website.

“We want to make sure everyone gets to enjoy a happy Christmas.

“More cars on the road, tired drivers and people driving on unfamiliar roads can all add up to make holiday driving stressful and risky.

“But there are simple things we can all do to stay safe,” the spokesman said.

“Plan ahead, drive sober, watch out for signs of fatigue, keep your speeds down and drive to the conditions.

“Everyone should check that their car is safe before heading off and think about sharing the driving on long trips.”