50KM Mini Skips
Speed kills
The single biggest road safety issue in New Zealand today is speed - drivers travelling too fast for the conditions.
Many drivers aren't aware that they can be travelling at the speed limit and still be driving unsafely.
The speed limit is the maximum legal speed that you can travel at on a road in perfect conditions.
However, road conditions are rarely perfect. Drivers who travel above the speed limit endanger the lives of others. We've all heard the saying 'Speed kills'. Higher speeds result in injuries that are more severe. At faster speeds there's also a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you're travelling.
The faster you drive on the road, the more likely you are to crash. As your speed increases the distance you need in order to stop increases, there is a greater probability that you will be going too fast if you meet an unexpected change in road conditions, there is a greater chance that other road users will misjudge how fast you are travelling.
If a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, the severity of their injuries is related to the impact speed. The probability of death for a pedestrian rises steeply from 10 percent at an impact speed of 30 km/h to 70 percent at 50 km/h.
The risks for vulnerable pedestrians, such as the elderly and young children, are higher.
In 2004 there were 3 fatal crashes and 36 serious crashes, in 2005 this decreased to 2 fatal crashes and 20 serious crashes.
Even though there has been an improvement in crash statistics in the Waitaki District where the social costs of crashes have fallen from 35 million (estimated) in 2004 to 24 million (estimated) in 2005 our community still needs to be reminded to slow down.
With the support from Envirowaste Waitaki the Waitaki Community Safety Officer and Oamaru Police have put in place an intuitive to do just that.
Envirowaste bins along Thames Highway have been fitted with 50km/h sticker’s reminder drivers what the speed limit is.
Over the next month streets on and around schools will have their mini skips fitted with the 50km/h stickers.