STRONGER TRAFFIC ACTION NEEDED

The proposed steps announced by Police Minister Annette King and
Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven this week to overhaul road
safety are a step in the right direction, writes The Marlborough
Express in an editorial.

Under the new measures motorists could risk losing their licences for
running red lights or not wearing seatbelts as demerit points are
suggested to replace fines for some offences. The Government says it
is investigating the greater use of demerit points to stop motorists,
especially youths, from continuing to drive while clocking up big
fines. This change could help to dispel public perceptions that
police issue tickets mainly as a revenue gathering exercise. Mrs King
says the Government does not want drivers writing out cheques but
would rather they change their behaviour.

The idea of replacing fines with demerits will only work if those who
continue to drive after they have lost their licences are dealt with
severely by the law.

The type of driver who manages to collect enough demerits to lose
their licence will probably continue to drive regardless of whether
they have a licence or not.

Hitting offenders where it hurts, like confiscating their cars, might
seem like a drastic idea but will certainly make drivers think twice
about breaking the law.

Another proposed measure is roadside drug testing. Drivers who are
stopped because they are suspected of driving while impaired by
illegal drugs will be required to undergo a roadside test, followed
by blood tests. If evidence of illegal drugs is found, they will be prosecuted.

This is another positive step but some are calling for even stronger
action. Lower Hutt woman Rachael Ford, whose mother Mary Radley died
after a drugged driver slammed into the car she was driving near
Koromiko in August 2004, is unhappy that the new measures focus on
illegal drugs. She says legal drugs, such as methadone and morphine
tablets, are just as much a problem as all the other illegal drugs.

One area where Government has not clamped down is on drivers who talk
or txt on cellphones while driving. An outright ban on drivers using
hand-held cellphones is already in force in 35 countries. Driving a
car is an activity that requires 100 percent concentration and
anything that distracts a driver can be extremely dangerous. Perhaps
more deaths need to be attributed to cellphone use before action will
be taken on this issue.

Groups such as the Consumers Institute say road deaths are not
falling at the rate required to meet the Government's target of fewer
than 300 roads deaths by 2010.

The institute has suggested 10 measures to lower the road toll,
ranging from reducing the drink-drive limit to raising the minimum
driving age to 16. The statistics are not good. So far this year 62
young drivers aged between 15 and 19 have died on our roads, that's
16 percent of the road toll.

Even 300 road deaths a year is still too many. Strong action is
needed to bring the road toll down to even less than that and
hopefully the new measures will go some way to achieving that.