Kiri Gillespie: Slower speed limits no silver bullet, time for drivers to step up

The speed limit between Tauranga and Katikati has been reduced in a bid to make the area safer. Photo / NZTA

Here in New Zealand, it seems most people claim to be a good driver.

Once upon a time, I would've agreed.

If you take a look through the nation's motorsport history, little ol' New Zealand punches far, far above its weight. Bruce McLaren, Burt Munro and the Bay of Plenty's very own Denny Hulme. More recently the likes of Scott Dixon and Shane van Gisbergen have had countless achievements.

But when it comes to the average Kiwi on the roads, I'm concerned – and not because of wannabe racecar drivers.

It's the driver travelling on State Highway 2 between Katikati and Tauranga at 70 to 75km/h and harshly braking on every bend, creating a traffic jam kilometres long.

It's the driver at Ngongatahā so distracted by their passenger they repeatedly veered into oncoming traffic.

It's the countless drivers I see on mobile phones while travelling around - holding their phone up in front of their face on speaker doesn't make what they're doing any safer.

The 100km/h or 80km/h speed limit has nothing to do with the danger these drivers I've observed in the past two weeks were putting themselves and others in.

We hear time and time again that "speed kills" and while I don't argue with that, I also don't agree that should be the only justification to reduce speed limits willy-nilly.

In my view, lowering the speed limit on reasonably safe, state highways has only made it easier for terrible drivers to maintain bad habits and become distracted - especially in cars that have become so automated, it seems all a driver does is press a button and do a bit of light steering.

One must question the logic behind Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency's plans to reduce the speed limit on more than 80km of SH5 between Napier and Taupō from 100km/h to 80km/h. They say it's to make it safer, but there hasn't been a fatal speed-related crash there for more than a year.

The locals seem to share this concern. About 1800 opposed the plans but the agency is going ahead anyway.

Why?

In my view, we need to be addressing New Zealand's terrible crash rate with more than a knee-jerk reduced-speed reaction.

There are many places where I believe a 100km/h speed limit is completely safe — It's the drivers who aren't.

It's about time New Zealanders were honest about their actual driving ability on our roads.