Hawke's Bay resident and racing driver Greg Murphy says the driving culture needs to change, not the speed limit. Photo / Paul Taylor
Hawke's Bay resident and racing driver Greg Murphy says the driving culture needs to change, not the speed limit. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kiwi racing driver and Hawke's Bay resident Greg Murphy says the answer to making the region's roads safer isn't reduced speed limits, but changing the region's driving culture.
Recent road safety data from the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) suggested that speed limits on almost 90 per cent of the country'sroads are too high and should be lowered - but Murphy has rubbished the claim.
He said Hawke's Bay was among many other regions that had "done a bad job" when it came to expectations of safe driving.
If there was one message that needed to be heard it was to "stop blaming the roads and the speed limits and start taking driver responsibility, training and testing seriously", he said.
Murphy said he had plans to make Hawke's Bay the first region in New Zealand to have a controlled environment in which drivers could do specialised training to keep themselves safer on the roads.
He said he and a group of people were looking to buy land in which the driving space could be created.
"I'm talking about an environment where we can teach people about things that happen on the road every day, like emergency stopping, knowing what it's like to jump on a brake pedal, understanding stopping distances and hazard identification."
Although it was just in the planning phase, and would cost millions, Murphy said it would be an efficient and practical place for people to upskill and be safe on the roads.
"I'm not saying that there isn't a need for roading improvements, there most definitely is.
"Improving the country's roading network will improve transport efficiency and in some cases it might assist in reducing injuries and deaths, but people will still crash if we don't change the driving culture.
"We've failed to provide enough of the right information and the correct practical training, information and provide enough awareness of what driving safety is.
"It's too basic when it comes to getting a licence and we as a nation have been doing it for so long that we've let it get to a point where the road toll is something that people are sitting up and taking notice of."
St Georges Road was an example of a road that had rightfully had its speed limit lowered, Murphy said. Photo / File
Murphy said New Zealand's driving system was "broken" and needed to be reviewed.
"The same people who are crashing now will still continue to crash even if we lower the speed limit.
"Drivers need to have a strong awareness of what's going on around them and adjust to it. It's about understanding the dynamics of a motor vehicle and understanding the tools it comes with."
Murphy also believed that pressure on road policing teams would increase to monitor slower speed limits, as people wouldn't necessarily stick to them.
"There are some things in Hawke's Bay that rightfully should be changed - St George's Rd for example was one they lowered from 100km/h to 80km/h a couple of years ago and I thought that was a good idea.
"It's a busy road, there's lots of driveways and vehicles pulling out."
