Brake welcomes increased funding for safer roads

Brake, the road safety charity is welcoming the Government's announcement of a $4.3 billion investment in road safety programmes as part of the 2018-21 National Land Transport Programme.

Caroline Perry, Brake's NZ director said: "We're pleased to see this increase in investment for road safety. People are being killed and seriously injured on our roads every day. Investment in proven safety features, and more roads policing and enforcement will help to save lives. The consequences of crashes are horrific, and we urgently need to reverse the increase in deaths and injuries on our roads that we've seen over the last few years."

The NLTP also includes more funding going to the regions and an increase in investment for sustainable and active travel modes.

Ms Perry said: "Our regions experience some significant road safety issues, and a large proportion of deaths and serious injuries occur on our open roads, so increased investment in these areas is greatly needed. We're also pleased to see an increase in investment for walking, cycling and public transport."

However, Brake also noted the challenges ahead in addressing road safety and reducing deaths and injuries.

"This investment is a good start over the next three years, but we're going to need more investment in the long-term if we are to increasingly and significantly reduce the trauma on our roads, and ensure a lasting reduction in deaths and serious injuries for all road users", Ms Perry added.