Road safety initiative "Stay Alive on 5" has achieved unprecedented results in its first 12 months of operation, with zero fatalities on the Hawke's Bay side of the Napier - Taupō road.
Hawke's Bay Police Highway Patrol officer Constable Steven Knox set up the 'Stay Alive on 5' campaign, launched in November 2020, after a notorious year of road crashes in 2019-2020 resulting in nine deaths on the Hawke's Bay side.
Constable Knox says that while the zero fatalities statistic was obviously fantastic, the wider effect of an overall reduction in road crashes is just as important.
"For the period November 2020 to October 2021, there's been a 72% decrease in crashes along State Highway 5 as a result of focused and targeted effort."
"The Ministry of Transport calculate the 'Social Cost' of road crashes as a way of quantifying the damage done. The massive reduction in minor, serious and fatal injuries that we've seen as a result of the campaign has been calculated as a $43,914,100 social cost saving from the previous year. The reality is we are saving lives."
The campaign has seen a significant increase in Police patrols on the road, with both marked and unmarked vehicles working in tandem, and the use of speed camera vans.
"Police presence on the road is a powerful deterrent to speeding and dangerous driving, such as risky overtaking manoeuvres. Speeding and bad decision-making on the road can have devastating consequences."
The increased presence has resulted in a significant increase in traffic stops on the previous year. Police hope this will decrease as more road users get the message that Police have a new focus on road safety in this area, and change their behaviour accordingly. We also want to urge motorists to take regular breaks on their journey.
Other measures include working with partners to share short road safety messages on billboards and fatigue stops with free coffee for drivers to help raise awareness of the dangers of speed, fatigue and conditions.
"The campaign has been a partnership between a number of agencies and one of the great results has been the approval of around $30 million worth of repairs to road surfaces and safety measures by Waka Kotahi (NZ Transport Agency). There has been substantial roadworks undertaken recently and more is planned," Constable Knox says.
Constable Knox acknowledges that even with the increased efforts the potential for a fatal crash never goes away, but he's hopeful that these positive results can be sustained or improved.
"Police can only do so much, so to see the campaign contribute significantly to a reduction in harm, meaning more people getting to their destination safely, is very rewarding."
As we head into the Christmas holiday period there will be checkpoints across the region and an increased Police presence on our roads to make sure drivers, passengers and vehicles are safe.
People traveling the Napier - Taupō road through the summer holidays are urged to take care so that everyone can get to their destination safely and can enjoy the festive season. Drive to the conditions, slow down and Stay Alive on 5.
