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Positive feedback for road safety campaign

Author
Charlotte Lewis-West ,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Mar 2015, 10:24AM
File photo (Stockxchng)
File photo (Stockxchng)

Positive feedback for road safety campaign

Author
Charlotte Lewis-West ,
Publish Date
Fri, 6 Mar 2015, 10:24AM

The AA believes the Government's latest road safety campaign is a positive step amid the debate over foreign drivers.

The latest safety changes will be rolled out in Southland and Otago by July, with extra rumble strips and signs along rural highways.

The existing Visiting Driver Programme will also extend to the West Coast.

Buller's District Mayor is relieved the Government's included the region in its foreign drivers road safety plan.

Garry Howard says the region attracts a huge number of tourists.

"We have got windy coastal roads, and this is certainly a step in the right direction."

AA national policy manager Simon Douglas says overseas research shows the changes will be effective.

"Rumble strips and tourist directional arrows are very effective at keeping people in their lanes and avoiding crossing the centre line. It is one of the tools that the AA has called for, and is proven and cost effective."

But Canterbury University transport specialist Alan Nicholson says other countries mark every dangerous passing, and we need to do the same.

"It might be that these people are coming to New Zealand and relying excessively on the existence or not of these no passing lines, and when they're not there they think it's safe to pass."

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