Another fatality free long-weekend is the AA’s hope for the Queen’s Birthday holiday.

Not that long ago, the idea of having a holiday-weekend without any road deaths would have been seen as impossible in New Zealand. But the ongoing improvements in our road safety have made the impossible possible, and the Easter weekend in April showed that we now can have a holiday weekend without anyone being killed on the roads.

“Last Queen’s Birthday weekend we had the lowest Queen’s Birthday road toll since 1956 with one death,” says AA spokesperson Dylan Thomsen.

“Let’s aim to turn one into none this weekend.”

“Each and every driver can play their part by making good choices about how they drive and when they drive.”

Now that we are into winter, one key tip the AA has is for motorists to plan their holiday driving to avoid the worst driving conditions.

“The mornings and evenings are darker and the sun is low in the sky so visibility at those times can be bad and frosts can make the roads slippery as well.”

“Planning your drive so you aren’t on the roads in the early morning or evening is one really easy way to be safer. If you do have to drive at those times make sure you have your headlights on to help other people see you.”

“Keeping a safe following distance and driving at the right speed for the conditions are even more important in winter. If the roads are wet it takes you a lot longer to stop so drivers need to be doubling their following distance to four seconds in those conditions.”

Last but by no means least, the AA is reminding everyone getting into a vehicle to wear their seat belt.

Of the 285 people killed on the roads in the last 12 months, provisional data shows 68 (or nearly 1 in 4) of them were not restrained.

In comparison, the nationwide survey of seat belt usage across the population estimates 96% of drivers and front seat passengers are wearing their seat belts, along with 88% in rear seats. New Zealand could still achieve a substantial drop in its road toll simply by getting everyone in a car to buckle up.

For more information contact:

Dylan Thomsen
Communications adviser
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. (04) 931 9991
M. 027 703 9935
Email: dthomsen@aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.