Campaign targets SH1 crashes

Road safety agencies today announced plans for a two-stage $4.5 million road safety campaign for State Highway 1 in the South Waikato and Taupo Districts.

All the major agencies with a stake in road safety will contribute -- Transit New Zealand, the police, Land Transport New Zealand, South Waikato and Taupo district councils, Environment Waikato and ACC.

The driver education component for Stage 1, entitled "Lose your confidence. Save your life!" began today.

The full Stage 1 campaign will be unveiled at launch events in Tokoroa on November 2 and in Turangi on November 3.

Stage 2 will be launched in 2006.

The full campaign will include:

* A major safety upgrade involving road signs, road markings and road surfacings, by Transit New Zealand;

* An increased enforcement and fatigue awareness campaign by the police;

* A high profile driver education campaign, with contributions from all agencies.

Agencies involved with road safety have formed the SWATT 2010 group (South Waikato and Taupo Target 2010) to reduce the rate of fatal and injury crashes on SH1 in the South Waikato and Taupo districts.

The group's efforts will help the Government meet its 2010 national road safety targets of no more than 300 deaths and no more than 4500 hospitalisations by 2010.

After analysing crash data on SH1 in the South Waikato and Taupo districts, the team will initially target three stretches of highway with the worst crash records.

They are Piarere (the SH29 Tauranga turnoff south of Cambridge) to Mangaiti Hill south of Tokoroa (54km), Taupo to Hatepe (19km), Motuoapa to Turangi (7km).

SWATT 2010 convener Alan Burkett said a Stage 2 campaign will follow next year targeting further stretches of SH1 in the South Waikato and Taupo districts.

"The approach we have taken in combining engineering, enforcement and education initiatives (the three Es) has been proven to reduce crash numbers in New Zealand and overseas.

"We have put a lot of effort into analysing crashes on the selected sections of SH1," Mr Burkett said.

"The results will surprise a lot of people because they are not what the average driver expects."

The campaign is the largest of 10 crash reduction initiatives planned in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, covering 200km of SH1. Transit, the Police and Land Transport New Zealand are working together at national and regional levels to advance safety projects that can reduce road crash trauma.

- NZPA