2 Jan 2011

Call for Government to do more to curb road toll

6:43 am on 2 January 2011

The institute that represents local government's views on road safety says last year's road toll is too high.

Some 373 people died on New Zealand roads in 2010, 12 fewer than the previous year.

The president of the New Zealand Traffic Institute says the Government is not doing enough to curb the number of people dying on New Zealand roads.

Andy Foster says most of the money invested in roading focuses on reducing congestion, rather than improving the safety of the country's worst roads with median barriers and rumble strips, for example.

Mr Foster supports increasing the minimum driving age from 15 to 16 years old and extending the time people drive on a restricted licence to at least 12 months, rather than six.

People aged 15 to 24 accounted for 30% of last year's road toll.

The institute says the 2000-2010 National Safety Strategy, which the Government adopted, was for no more than 300 people to be killed on the road in any year.

It says both the National and Labour governments have failed in terms of road safety.