Regional road safety report 2000

Report: TR2000/17

Author: Opus International Consultants Ltd

This report has been prepared by Waikato Regional Council to fulfil the objectives of the National Road Safety Plan in monitoring road safety and co-ordination of safety intervention efforts. The report presents the regions and the country’s reported crash statistics for the last five to ten years and provides a comparison and an overview analysis, particularly on 1998 and 1999.

The national road toll has shown a downward trend over the last ten years. Positive national targets have been set for the year 2001 with, for example, the number of road deaths reducing from 509 in 1999 to 420 in 2001, and the seatbelts worn by adults in the front seat from 89 per cent to 98per cent.

The Waikato Region has had the highest number of fatalities for both the 1999 and 2000 years as opposed to 1998 when the Auckland Region had the highest number of fatalities (105), with the Waikato having considerably less (77). The number of fatalities in the Waikato Region has increased each year for the past three years.
The percentage of crashes in the region where alcohol was a contributing factor continues to fall with the majority of such crashes occurring in the 15 – 24 age group and the majority of offenders being male.

The four main contributing factors in all rural crashes in the region were poor observation, excess speed, road factors and alcohol. Crashes as a result of fatigue and poor observation are increasing as a proportion of total crashes within the region.

Over the five years form 1995 – 1999, 26 per cent of vehicle occupants killed were not restrained (however with a further 27 per cent of the total number of occupants killed restraint use was not recorded so the actual number of victims that were unrestrained may have been considerably higher). Wearing rates in front seat adults is steadily declining in the region whilst rates for rear seat adults is on the increase. The use of child restraints improved in 1999 reversing a downward trend, however rates in 2000 have dropped.

The number of older driver casualties per 1000 population is much greater within the Region than it is nationally.