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New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and Hato Hone St John are urging all road users to seriously consider safety when travelling this long weekend.
“Regardless of if you’re travelling near or far, we all want everyone to get to their destinations safely over King’s Birthday weekend,” says Superintendent Steve Greally, director of road policing.
“We want to make it clear that we will be taking the necessary enforcement action wherever we see road users endangering their lives and the lives of others. We all share a responsibility to ensure our roads are safe and collectively we will do our part, but ultimately drivers and riders need to do theirs.”
Even on long weekends, the focus for police remains on the four main causes of death and serious injuries on roads – restraints, impairment, distractions and speed.
“We’ve seen too many lives lost so far this year due to people driving too fast for the conditions, driving while impaired (by alcohol, drugs, or fatigue), driving while distracted when using a mobile phone or not being properly restrained,” Greally says.
“Our officers unapologetically focus on these behaviours in an effort to prevent other families and communities from being torn apart due to a crash that could have been avoided.”
Megan Stiffler (FENZ) says it’s crucial to prioritise road safety, including driving cautiously near crash scenes and giving way to emergency vehicles.
“When you see flashing lights or hear sirens, stay calm, slow down, and safely pull over to the left to let the fire truck, police car or the ambulance pass,” she says.
“Firefighters do so much more than fight fires. Attending crashes is a big part of [our work] – our firefighters are from your community, they’re your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.
Firefighters see first-hand the harsh reality of what can happen when things go wrong on our roads, Stifler says.
“While we will always be there to answer the call from communities, we remind everyone to be safe behind the wheel and always follow the road rules. Drive carefully, be patient!”
Hato Hone St John emergency ambulance crews attend more than 17,000 road crashes each year, and ambulance officers also see the devastating impact these incidents have on patients, whanau, friends and communities.
Many crashes also involve children. Frontline staff continue to see children who are not properly restrained, in poorly fitted car seats or travelling without an appropriate car seat at all.
“As ambulance officers, we are there in some of the hardest moments people will ever face,” says Stuart Cockburn from Hato Hone St John. “We are also parents, grandparents, sons and daughters and these incidents stay with us.
“This long weekend, we are asking everyone to do the simple things that can save lives: drive to the conditions, be patient, avoid distractions, never drive impaired and make sure every person in the vehicle is properly restrained.
“That includes making sure children are in the right car seat for their age and size and that it is fitted correctly.
“Please take care of yourself, your passengers and other road users, so everyone has the best chance of getting where they are going safely,” Cockburn adds.
“All three emergency services want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable long weekend. Slow down, drive sober, put the phone down and buckle up. [These] four simple tasks when on the road can make all the difference to one’s safety.”
