Its goal was to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 40 per cent by 2030, which officials said would save 750 lives and prevent several thousand serious injuries over the course of the decade.
But less than two years into the strategy, officials advised ministers it was not going to be achievable.
According to documents received under the Official Information Act (OIA), in November 2021, Waka Kotahi updated its forecasts on what could be achieved.
The 40 per cent target was not achievable, with a new “realistic” target of 33 per cent touted.
“Under-performance on some key actions put the 2030 target at risk,” the document said.
“Those forecasts indicate that Road to Zero actions could realistically achieve a 33 per cent reduction in DSI [deaths and serious injuries] by 2030, down from the targeted 40 per cent.”
By dropping the target, roughly 140 people would be expected to die on the roads this decade that the government had planned to save with their road safety improvements.
The reason for the need to adjust the target was the government’s road safety partners - the police, Waka Kotahi and the Ministry of Transport - failing to deliver on their targets.
In documents sent to the police minister, Chris Hipkins, the police admitted they had “not met set Road to Zero targets for 2021″.
According to the police annual report, they had not met targets for speed camera hours or the number of alcohol tests they should have run. Several other road safety targets had also not been achieved.
Despite this, police said to the minister that “this should not be seen as police not targeting those who take risks on the road”.
Waka Kotahi has also missed targets, mainly in regard to infrastructure.
It was supposed to build 100km of median barriers per year, and 400km by 2024.
Last year it built 13km of median barriers, and in total has only built 50km of median barriers since the Road to Zero plan began in 2020.
Waka Kotahi is also short of targets for side barriers and other safety features, and it is unable to say how many intersection upgrades it has made.
The agency’s annual report says just four intersections were upgraded last year, but that only includes state highways.
It said some local roads had been upgraded but could not say how many.
Bryan Sherrit, the director of Road To Zero for the Ministry of Transport, admitted the progress on road safety had been slower than what the agencies had wanted.
“We want everyone to get home safely to their friends and whānau,” Sherrit said.
“To achieve our goals, it’ll take a systematic change to how we all approach road safety - from road users, city planners, policy writers, enforcement officers and road builders. We all have a vital role in this.
“Our initial target is to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 40 percent by 2030. This is still our target - this has not changed.”
He said police and Waka Kotahi were working hard to make amends for their slow pace of road safety delivery.
“Forecasts from November 2021 were a point-in-time estimate on what we were on track to achieve. Since that forecast, a number of interventions have commenced that will make a difference.
“This includes a significant increase in alcohol breath screening tests by police, with more than 2.2 million tests conducted in the 12 months to 31 October 2022; Waka Kotahi is significantly increasing the rollout of median barriers in 2023; consultation on new speed management plan for New Zealand’s state highways; and a new public awareness campaign to help remind drivers of their responsibilities when behind the wheel.”
