It might be controversial to suggest, but when do we accept that Road to Zero is failing? How long do we give it and how many lives have to be lost before, as a community, we demand that Waka Kotahi and the government actually address the key drivers of road safety and not just myopically focus on speed?

Speed is an critical factor, but it is only one of the things that can reduce accident rates. Professional truck drivers and all road users deserve a nationwide road safety strategy that actually deals with the root of the problem. Highly produced and paternalistic PR campaigns that wag the finger at us achieve little more than getting the public’s back up. Combine this with what many Kiwis see as draconian speed limit changes, and you have a government bureaucracy that seems to be moving further and further away from day-to-day reality for most Kiwis.

We need a multi-pronged approach that treats the public with respect and prioritises raising the driving skills of road users and improves the poor quality and dangerous state of our roads.

All road users must be aware of the situation around them at all times. This includes making judgements on fatigue, weather conditions, the state of the road and what the traffic is doing. Truck drivers are professionals, so they do this every day. However, most motorists are not, which is why I agree with AutoSense ambassador and professional racing driver Greg Murphy when he says that providing new drivers with better driving skills would make a big difference.

From domestic and international experience, we know that improving roads and building new ones also brings significant long-term safety benefits.

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand strongly advocates investing in roads that are appropriate to the public’s expectations of modern travel. We appreciate the increased safety outcomes that well-designed roads deliver and remain convinced that providing well-engineered roads with proper safety infrastructure, such as median and shoulder safety barriers, is a much better long-term solution than simply reducing speeds on what remain poorly designed and obviously dangerous roads.

The misnomer that safety is all about speed was a key part of Transporting New Zealand’s discussions with the government over the proposal to raise the speed limit on the Waikato Expressway. I am glad – regarding this road at least – that sense has prevailed. Once the Hamilton section is completed, the new speed limit will mean that light vehicles can travel a continuous 78km on a median-divided, four-lane expressway at 110kph.

Not only does the Waikato Expressway decision represent a victory for common sense but, hopefully, it can help finally convince decision-makers that investing in modern, well-designed roads can deliver benefits for safety as well as productivity through the efficient movement of people and freight. If so, not all may be lost yet for Road to Zero.