Road barriers would save lives - campaigner

More wire rope barriers on New Zealand roads would save lives, according to a road safety campaigner. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Simple wire rope median barriers could prevent many serious and fatal crashes, a road safety campaigner said.

"Scientific studies show beyond doubt that many head-on collisions are easily preventable if wire rope barriers are installed on existing roads," said Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of car review website dogandlemon.com.

Instead of installing more barriers, the Government had abandoned plans to built barriers on some of the country's most dangerous roads, he said.

The NZTA decision to cancel plans to install two-wire rope median barriers on the Kapiti coast highway "quite simply, insane", he said.

"Since the wire rope median barrier was installed on the nearby Centennial highway, most of the serious injuries and deaths stopped overnight.

"Yet, just up the road from the Centennial highway, the Government has cancelled plans for further barriers.

"These are very dangerous roads, and the cost of the barrier is peanuts compared to the cost of building a new highway."

NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said the two wire-rope median barrier projects on the Kapiti Coast had not been deferred, not cancelled.

Both remained in the NZTA's forward work programme for 2012-15, he said.

Chris Lane, director of the Kapiti emergency medical services, backed Mr Matthew-Wilson's call.

Dr Lane, who has attended serious and fatal crashes on SH1 in the district in the last 20 years, believed that the high number of serious crashes would continue on the highway, until median barriers were installed.

"The Government should make these wire rope barriers its top priority, far ahead of building new roads that may not be ready for years," Dr Lane said.

- NZPA