An intersection campaign in the Selwyn District has seen an alarming rise in intersection prosecutions. Selwyn Police, Strategic Traffic Unit and Highway Patrol joined forces in early December and the result has been a significant increase in prosecutions for intersection offences.
"We've always known anecdotally that locals are blase at intersections, making them very vulnerable to crashes," says Canterbury Traffic O/C, Inspector Derek Erasmus. "This ongoing campaign proves the point."
There was an 82% rise in tickets given out at intersections in the Selwyn District for the month of December 2005 compared to December 2004. 73 tickets were issued for failing to give way and failing to stop in December 2005, (compared to 40 the previous December), mainly at the intersections advertised as having the highest crash history.
Overall prosecutions in December 2005 were up 37% on the same time last year. (2004=463 prosecutions, 2005=633).
"These are alarming statistics" says Inspector Derek Erasmus. "There has been at least one crash at a rural intersection in Selwyn every year for the past five years where someone has been killed. The next one could be you!"
Police and Road Safety agencies have been working together by raising awareness of the dangers, and enforcement of the road rules, especially targeting failing to stop and failing to give way, in the hope of reducing intersection crashes in the Selwyn District.
Statistics collated by Land Transport New Zealand show that poor observation was the cause of the majority of crashes in Selwyn. The most common findings when crashes were analysed, were failures to give way or failure to stop.
"Our rural intersections are dangerous places," says Selwyn Road Safety Co-ordinator Lee Wright. "One third of all vehicle crashes in the district happen at intersections.
"STOP means STOP," she says. "If drivers don’t stop they are at risk of crashing and/or being prosecuted."
Police will continue to target intersections in Selwyn through out summer.
Worst Selwyn intersections:
o Tennyson Street and State Highway 1 at Rolleston
The intersection of Tennyson Street and State Highway 1 at Rolleston has recorded the greatest number of crashes where vehicles have been turning. There have been 11 crashes at the intersection in the past five years. In four of those crashes, people have been injured.
o Shands Road and Weedons Road (seven crashes in the past four years),
o State Highway 1 and Waterholes Road (five crashes)
o Springs Road and Boundary Road (four crashes),
o Shands Road and Blakes Road (four crashes)
o Springs Road and Hamptons Road (three crashes).
All these intersections are controlled by stop signs.