Torque talk

The “Road to Zero” is already well underway. It has been a couple of years since the Government made the announcement of achieving a “zero” road death toll by 2050. The spearhead of this goal is the country’s speed limits.

While I do agree some technical and off camber rural 100km/h roads with broken up bitumen do need a limit rethink, speed is not the be all and end all that the Government thinks it is.

This relentless focus solely on speed has left the powers that be seemingly oblivious to what could make this “road to zero” actually happen. Making Kiwis better drivers.

In countries such as Sweden and Finland, you must prove you can master your car in a variety of conditions before you are even considered to be allowed on the roads. Comprehensive driver training is key to giving drivers the knowledge and the ability to not only handle their cars in all conditions, but also know how to react in any situation.

Rather than spend millions on television advertisements which focus solely on the speed limit, the Government should also equip Kiwi drivers young and old with skills in order to abide by the law and be road safe.