Popular tourist routes earmarked for safety improvements

The Government is investing $3 million to help make State Highways on key tourist routes in Otago, Southland and the West Coast safer this summer, Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss says.

“About $1 million will be spent in each region on road safety works such as no-passing lines, 'keep left' arrows, rest area and curve sign upgrades, and new safety barriers,” Mr Foss says.

The improvements are part of the Visiting Drivers Project’s $15 million road safety engineering programme announced in October.

“Every initiative under the Visiting Drivers Project is backed by extensive research and analysis that shows where people — including New Zealanders — are crashing and why.  By targeting these areas we can reduce the likelihood of crashes and minimise the consequences when they do occur,” Mr Foss says.

“There is no silver bullet. It takes a range of measures to improve safety across all parts of the system — roads and roadsides, speed, vehicles and road use.  That’s why the Government is also running a major road safety campaign in Project areas this summer holiday season.

“The campaign uses billboards, posters, digital advertising and social media to help visiting drivers understand and prepare for driving in New Zealand.

“It’s important to remember that while the Visiting Drivers Project focuses on three regions in the South Island, many of these initiatives benefit all visitors, domestic and international.”

For more information, including a full list of Visiting Drivers Project initiatives, visit: www.saferjourneys.govt.nz/visitingdriversproject