Safety benefits of new roads (Completed)
Improving road safety is a key reason for building new roads, but how much of a difference do these new roads make? This is the first known study in New Zealand to quantify how crash numbers changed following a new road being built while the old road also remained in use.
Results
The AA Research Foundation commissioned the WSP firm to analyse how crash numbers and trauma had changed following the building of eight new stretches of highway or expressway around the country, and how the results compared to the surrounding areas.
The study found the new roads reduced injury crashes by 22.5% resulting in a 29% reduction in minor injuries and a 37% reduction in deaths and serious injuries.
Page last updated: March 2023