Road Safety Week 2023: Northland driver trainer Gerry O’Connell’s tips on staying safe

Northland Road Safety trustee and volunteer driver trainer Gerry O’Connell.

Kiwis are being encouraged to ‘be a road safety hero’ as Road Safety Week 2023 promotes road safety awareness from May 15 to 21. The Advocate is acknowledging those Northlanders who help make our roads safer.

Whenever there is a shout-out for volunteers to assist with road safety or driver training, Gerry O’Connell is one of the first to put his hand up to help.

“We talk about driving to the conditions: these are not just weather but also, light, road, other traffic, your own vehicle and you the driver. That’s because crashes are normally the result of several of these factors,” O’Connell said.

“Once a number of those things come together, crashes can become even more likely.”

O’Connell once experienced just that when he had a road crash – an experience that ultimately made him a better driver, allowing him to better pass on safe driving practices to other people.

In his case, he had the flu and was driving at night on an unfamiliar road in greasy conditions. He approached a corner too quickly to drive out of it.

“We should not blame crashes on the conditions of our roads because roads in poorer condition should make us more cautious and better drivers.

“It is generally driver error if you can’t handle the road. That’s why people need to learn to adjust and drive properly and drive with courtesy,” O’Connell said.

“I believe people are driving with more courtesy but we can always do better. I certainly care for other motorists and I expect them to care for other people too.”

O’Connell also believed every new driver should have professional driver training.

“I have had parents of children I am teaching sit in a car and not know about blind spot checks. Nothing replaces a good driver and that takes training and experience which is why I am not a fan of the increasing automation in new vehicles. It dumbs down drivers.”

It is for reasons like these that O’Connell is a trustee on the Northland Road Safety Trust – a role he has held for many years.

While O’Connell reckoned he does not quite match the efforts or longevity of Northland road safety champions like Bill Rossiter or Roger Scampton, he is proud to play his part in flying the flag for road safety.

“I was with the St John Driving Academy from 1992 until 2018 and spent a lot of time alongside people like Bill doing driver licensing courses at marae throughout Northland.

“It was an initiative that helped thousands of Northlanders, so it was a major success. I have had the children of parents I taught come through for training too which is rewarding and I am still qualified as a driving instructor.”

In recent weeks O’Connell was back out volunteering and doing a driver refresher for Age Concern.

He has trained a number of ambulance drivers in his time, always acutely aware of the trauma they deal with at road crashes.

And that is why O’Connell intends to keep on giving back to the Northland community in the hope of making our roads safer to travel on.

• The Northland Road Safety Trust and the Northland Transportation Alliance are encouraging locals to take part in a walk of the Hātea Loop to celebrate the region’s road safety heroes at noon today. The walk begins near the Canopy Bridge.