The AA is urging motorists to take extra care on the roads as wet conditions combine with schools starting their year.

“Most of the country has had a fantastic run of hot, dry weather, but the rain has come in just as traffic levels are getting back to their busiest,” says AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon.

“There are going to be a lot more vehicles on the roads around the start and end of the school day. Mix that with wet roads and poorer visibility and drivers need to make sure they are driving to the conditions.

“The January road toll was down 48% from last year, with 18 deaths compared to 35, and we want to keep the trend going.”

The AA wants all drivers to be extra watchful for children travelling to and from school and remember that cars take a lot longer to stop in the rain.

“Young kids in particular can do unexpected things around the road and, if it’s grey and raining, it can be easy to miss seeing them.”

A lot of schools now have electronic signs that show reduced speed limits at times of the day when children will be present and drivers need to look out for and obey these.

Drivers also need to slow down around school buses when they are picking up or dropping off passengers. The legal speed limit for vehicles travelling on either side of the road past a school bus is 20kph.

Research has shown the best thing that can be done to reduce accidents around schools is to eliminate the need for children to cross the road so parents can also do a lot to help keep their children safe. Either drop them off and pick them up on the same side of the road as their school, cross the road with them or make sure they know to use the school patrol crossing.

For more information contact:

Mike Noon
General Manager: Motoring Affairs
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. (04) 931 9984
M. 021 659 704
Email:  mnoon@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.