Associate Transport Minister Michael Woodhouse is urging everyone to take care on the roads this Queen’s Birthday weekend. “Long weekends are traditionally busier on the roads as people take the opportunity to travel, so extra care needs to be taken.” Last year over Queen’s Birthday weekend there were seven fatalities and 107 injuries. Losing control, alcohol and travelling too fast for conditions were the three most common factors contributing to the crashes. Drive to the conditions, stay within the speed limit and take regular breaks or share the driving if you are taking a long journey.
“Holidays should be a positive time to catch up with friends and family, not a time to deal with the life-changing impact of a serious crash.” Police will be out in numbers and will again be enforcing reduced speed tolerances of no more than 4km/h over all permanently posted speed limits. “While the police will play their part in stopping speeding and drunk drivers, we all share responsibility for staying safe on the roads. Let’s look out for each other and ensure that everyone arrives back from their holiday safely,” says Mr Woodhouse.
Queen’s Birthday weekend 2013 officially starts at 4 pm on Friday 31 May and ends at 6 am on Tuesday 4 June.
