RTC chair welcomes new national road safety strategy

The chairman of the multi-agency Waikato Regional Transport Committee has today strongly welcomed a new ten-year Government Safer Journeys strategy aimed at reducing fatalities and serious injuries on New Zealand roads.

“The new national Safer Journeys strategy is very much in line with our existing Waikato Regional Road Safety Strategy,” said Norm Barker, a councillor at regional council Environment Waikato.

“It’s good to see the way the national strategy adopts the Safe System approach which is international best practice.”
Cr Barker said he supported the Safer Journeys focus on tougher restrictions on youth drivers and making improvements to the graduated driver licence system in New Zealand.

He said he would support quick action to toughen up on blood alcohol limits for drivers.
“I would like to see the Government make a quick commitment to tightening drink-drive regulations,” Cr Barker said.
“Far too many fatal and serious injury accidents involve alcohol-impaired drivers and toughening the rules in this area would be an effective way of curbing the serious crash rate.”