OPINION:
There were 320 deaths on New Zealand roads in 2020. That is an appalling figure that would alarm any right-thinking person and when coupled with the thousands of crashes involving injury we clearly have a major problem. Often crashes are more frequent on specific stretches of road and when these aptly named high crash areas are identified, the road authority responsible for the road can focus on that location, responding with actions that have a goal of lowering the overall crash rates.
In the Stratford District, Opunake Rd is one such road. The statistics associated with Opunake Rd are alarming. There have been 57 crashes over the Past five years including three fatalities and 11 involving serious injuries. Averaging one crash a month on a single road is way too high.
This road offers a wide range of factors that contribute to the accident rate. It is an undulating road with tight corners including some with poor camber, narrow bridges, along with seasonal black ice and sunstrike. The road has many embankments and small gullies that are very unforgiving when driver mistakes occur. With millions of dollars to be spent over time, general safety improvements can be made to make the road safer.