Making our rural intersections safer

Innovative electronic speed signs, proven to cut serious crash rates by nearly 80 percent, will be installed at ten more high-risk intersections around the country as part of the Government’s $22.5 million Boost Safety Programme, says Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter.

The NZ Transport Agency will be installing active variable speed limit signs at ten intersections on state highways in Northland, Waikato, Canterbury and Otago in June and July.

Active variable speed limit signs detect when a driver is turning into or out of a side road, and temporarily reduce the legal speed limit on the state highway (from 100 km/h to either 60km/hr or 70km/h).

“Too often a simple mistake at a rural intersection has a devastating consequence. These simple safety improvements will help save lives on rural roads,” said Ms Genter.

“By temporarily slowing vehicles around busy rural intersections, these signs significantly reduce the risk of serious crashes occurring.

“This is because the risk of serious injury or death in side-impact crashes significantly increases at speeds above 50km/h.

“All of the 10 intersections in this package are at locations that have a high risk of serious crashes occurring.

“Interventions like these are examples of some of the quick steps the Government is taking across the country urgently to improve road safety,” says Ms Genter.