“Years ago it was unfortunate we used to look at the number of deaths and casualties on a so-called black spot to calculate the benefit of improving it.”
The predictive models allowed for hazard risks in trees, ditches and road shoulders to estimate accident risk.
“So, now even rural roads with low traffic volumes can also be identified as dangerous.”
The agency had also drawn up a list of the “worst 100” rural intersections in the country and was working on methods to improve them.
They included variable speed intersections where a car on a secondary road approaching the intersection with a main road activated a speed limit warning to the faster travelling vehicle with the right of way.
“By slowing the speed of the through vehicle we reduce the possible impact, should the vehicle due to give way fail to do so.”
Given New Zealand’s geography and population densities, Zollner believed improvements in road safety would likely now come more from focused efforts on specific lengths of roads in districts.
He acknowledged there were some aspects of road safety NZ seemed to have stalled on since 2013.
“While we have made good progress with younger drivers and alcohol limits, we seem to have gone backwards on motorcycle accident rates and in my region of Northland, on the use of restraints.”
The agency was working to analyse the cause of the jump in rural fatality rates for 2014.
“The minister wants to know the answer to this too.”
Related story: Rural roads a safety challenge
