With 27 deaths and many injured in the last seven days, is it time to ask the question whether parliament should rush through legislation banning motor vehicle style semi (or full) automatics from our roads?
While the untimely death of anyone is a tragedy for the families involved, I don’t imagine that our prime minister will be donning a crash helmet or wearing a designer seatbelt sash to show her identification with the bereaved families of the past week. Quote.
A black week on the country’s roads has continued overnight Thursday and early Friday, with two people dying following a crash shortly after midnight in Christchurch.
The Ministry of Transport said provisionally 26 people have died from road crashes between last Friday, March 29, and 9am this Friday. That brings to 110 the number of road deaths for 2019 so far.
There was another death an hour later, with police saying a cyclist had died after a crash with a car in Nelson about 10am on Friday.
Monday was the blackest day when nine people died in three separate crashes, including five people who died in one crash north of Taup?. It was the 20th time nine people died within a 24-hour period on our roads.
After those deaths police published a plea for road users to take care, pointing out 20 people had died on the roads in eight days.
But the wrenching toll keeps climbing.
About 7am on Friday, one person died in a crash between a car and a motorbike on Cambridge Rd, Roto-o-rangi, south of Cambridge.
That followed the deaths of two people in a collision between a truck and a car shortly after midnight at the intersection of Yaldhurst and Russley roads in Christchurch.
A 12-year-old passenger and the adult driver of the car died. Two other children were injured, one critically and one with serious injuries.
On Thursday evening, two people died following a two-car crash near the intersection of State Highway 2 and Mara St, in Mangatainoka, east of Palmerston North. Emergency services were alerted to the crash about 5.45pm. Three other people were injured in the crash, one critically and two seriously, police said.
About 1.20am on Thursday, the sole occupant of a car died after the vehicle crashed into a bridge on State Highway 509 at Tikokino, southwest of Hastings, police said.
Shortly after 8pm on Wednesday, police were called to a single-vehicle crash on Bainesse Rd, Rangiotu, near Palmerston North, which resulted in one person dying.
One person died on Tuesday after a two-car crash on the Te Puke Highway, near Te Puke. Police said they were alerted about 5.40pm.
The first of the three Monday crashes involving deaths was near Auckland Airport. Police said they were called about 1.15am to a report of a vehicle leaving the road near the intersection of Tom Pearce Dr and Puhinui Rd. A man was taken from the scene to Middlemore Hospital in a critical condition and later died. […]
Shortly after 10am on Monday, police were called to a collision between a car and a ute at the intersection of Mitcham Rd and Hepburns Rd, near Ashburton. […]
Last Sunday a motorcyclist died in a crash at the intersection of Teapot Valley Rd and Waimea West Rd in Brightwater, south of Nelson. Police said they were called to the scene about 3.20pm and no other vehicles were involved.
About 8.50pm last Saturday, police were alerted to a crash on SH1 in Topuni, north of Wellsford. Two people died at the scene, a child was taken to Starship Hospital in a serious condition, and another person was taken to Auckland Hospital also in a serious condition. […]
About half an hour earlier a single-vehicle crash on the corner of Glover Rd and Ketemarae Rd, Hawera, resulted in the deaths of two 18-year-old South Taranaki men. […] End quote.
Stuff
Calling Julie Anne Genter …. Where are you Julie Anne? Zero road toll on your watch you told us.