Road safety charity supports summer police campaign, urges drivers to check their speed

Road safety charity Brake is supporting the police "Check your speed" summer campaign, and urging drivers to slow down and drive to the conditions.

Caroline Perry, Brake's NZ director says: "As an organisation that supports bereaved families, we see the devastating consequences of road crashes. They wreck lives, take loved ones from families, and result in life-changing injuries.

"We're supporting the 'Check your speed' campaign this summer and urging all drivers to pledge to slow down and drive to the conditions.

"Speed is a factor in all crashes. Simple physics tells us that the faster you travel, the greater your stopping distance and the bigger the force of impact if you crash. Humans are not designed to withstand such big impacts. If you think "I'm only going a bit over the limit, I'm ok", you're wrong. Even small increases in speed result in much larger increases in stopping distance and an increase in impact severity.

"With more people out on foot, bicycle and motorbike over the summer months it's vital to check your speed and slow down in urban areas and where there are lots of pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists. Just a few km/h difference in speed can mean the difference between life and death for someone on foot or bike.

"Drivers have a responsibility to keep their passengers and other road users safe and if you're speeding or driving too fast for the conditions, you're putting yourself, your passengers and other innocent road users at risk."

Drivers can also help to keep themselves and others safe by:

• Always ensuring everyone in your vehicle is wearing a seat belt or in an appropriate child restraint.
• Not driving after consuming any amount of alcohol or drugs.
• Avoiding driving whilst tired and taking regular breaks on long journeys.
• Never using a phone or other electronic device at the wheel and minimising other distractions.

Make the Brake Pledge for safe driving.