Lessons for NZ in North's low road toll - Minister | Northland News | Local News in Northland

The slashing of the Northland road toll to seven last year from a previous low of 22 - with no fatalities in Whangarei for 12 months - has captured government attention.

"This is a magnificent effort," Police Minister Anne Tolley said yesterday. "The Northland public and police deserve huge praise."

Ms Tolley said the challenge now was to stay vigilant on the roads.

"We'll be taking a closer look to see if there are lessons the rest of the country can learn from Northland," she said.

Acting national road policing manager Acting Superintendent Rob Morgan was particularly interested to learn that there had been no road deaths in the Whangarei district in the past 12 months, with the last fatality in the district on February 1, 2011.

"Northland has had a really good year. It is really pleasing to see the road safety messages put out by the police and their partners seem to be having some effect," he said.

"I commend the people of Northland for taking responsibility for their own safety."

Northland police relieving road policing manager Senior Sergeant Steve Dickson said that since records began in 1970 the region had not previously recorded less than 20 deaths a year.

The region had averaged 34 fatalities annually over the past 40 years. The 22 road deaths recorded in 1971 and again in 2010 was the previous lowest toll on record.

"Against an average year, this means that there is another 27 people walking around in 2012 who would not be here if we had not made a difference on our roads," Mr Dickson said.

"One death has a ripple effect on 500 others, so that's 13,500 people who have not been impacted by someone dying on the road."

Engineering improvements on Northland roads had encouraged safer driving and motorists who had taken on road safety messages had also helped improve driver behaviour.

"Police have received positive feedback about people sticking to the speed limits, not drinking and driving, driving to the conditions and reporting poor driver practices," Mr Dickson said.

"The challenge now is for all Northlanders to continue working hard to keep the road toll as low as possible."

Gillian Archer, who has been Whangarei and Kaipara districts road safety co-ordinator for 10 years, said the last road death in the Whangarei district was on February 1 last year.

The Kaipara district had no road deaths last year, but two people were killed there when they fell from a motorcycle in Murray Rd and were run over last Saturday, lifting this year's toll in Northland to three.