This year’s Road Safety Week (12-18 May) urges the public to become a road safety hero, recognising everyone plays a role in making journeys and roads safer.
Johnston said any road death is one too many.
“We say it all the time but it comes down to driving to the conditions – especially with winter on the horizon – not speeding, wearing seatbelts, ensuring children are in restraints."
Johnston said too many motorists continued to drive distracted or under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
“We’ve had eight people die on our roads this year compared with 18 at this time last year.
“While that is a vast improvement, every one of those people had families and people that cared for them who are now grieving.”
She credited ramped-up enforcement efforts, specifically around speed and impaired driving, for improving road safety, but said motorists needed to step up too.
“In 2024, 22% of our deaths and serious injuries involved alcohol. Similarly, speed contributed to 33% of deaths and serious injuries on Northland roads in 2024, while 24% of those killed or seriously injured in light vehicles in Northland weren’t wearing a seatbelt.”
Fitchett said Northland’s figures were the highest in the country.
“If we choose not to wear a seatbelt, we will have minimal protection in a crash. If we drive while impaired, we can’t possibly hope to react in the way we need to. And if we speed, there is less time to react.
“Let’s learn these lessons now rather than the devastating hard way.”
The annual Road Safety Hero fun relay/walk around Hātea Loop, Whangārei, will take place on Friday at 1pm, starting at Pūtahi Park.
