Police have praised the behaviour of Kiwi motorists following the lowest number of Labour Weekend road deaths ever recorded, but say there is no room for complacency as summer approaches.
The provisional weekend road toll stands at one, after a 16-year-old boy died when the car he was travelling in hit a tree north of Katikati yesterday. A number of other people were also injured, some critically, in crashes around the country. Six people died on the country's roads last Labour Weekend, and another 112 were injured.
"While it's pleasing to see a significant reduction in road deaths for the long weekend compared to last year, it's no consolation to the family of the young man who was tragically killed," says Superintendent Carey Griffiths, National Manager Road Policing.
"Let's also not forget the many more people who were injured in crashes, including those who are now fighting to recover from serious and life-threatening injuries. Our thoughts are with them and their families."
Superintendent Griffiths says generally good driver behaviour, along with a highly visible Police presence and a lowered speed enforcement threshold of 4 km/h, were significant factors in the record low number of fatalities.
The previous lowest number of fatalities over Labour Weekend since records began was two, recorded in 1977. Three deaths were recorded in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006.
"While it's excellent to see that most people are getting the message, there's no room for complacency, particularly as we get closer to the Christmas holiday period when large numbers of Kiwis are on the road. Our goal is for every road user to have safer summer, and Police will be doing their part to help achieve that through a combination of activities throughout the holiday period."
The weekend's fatality brings the provisional total number of road deaths for the year to date to 204 – down 36 on the same time last year. It also follows the zero fatalities recorded during Queen's Birthday Weekend this year, part of general downward trend that Superintendent Griffiths says Police and other road safety agencies will be doing their part to reduce even further.
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