Protecting drivers from crashes and delays on Auckland’s motorway network is the aim of a "good manners" safety campaign starting this week, which is led by the NZ Transport Agency’s Auckland Motorway Alliance.
The campaign focuses on four key messages for motorway drivers: merging, changing lanes, and not using a mobile phone nor texting while driving.
All four messages aim to encourage people to remember their ‘motorway manners’ when they drive on the 240 kilometres of Auckland’s network, says the NZTA’s State Highways Manager for Auckland and Northland, Tommy Parker.
“The number of vehicle trips on our network averages around 900,000 every day. We have 2500 crashes annually – five of them fatal. Good driver behaviour is critical, and reminding everyone of small yet crucial things they can do to improve safety is important,” says Mr Parker.
The campaign includes billboards located at 20 motorway on-ramps with messages to raise driver awareness of safer driving. The messages include:
Mr Parker says that in addition to life threatening crashes, poor behaviour on the motorways can cause significant delays.
“If bad driving manners force other vehicles to suddenly brake or change speed abruptly, the risk of nose-to-tail crashes increases and cause not only injuries but disruption and congestion that can delay people and freight. Our “good manners” messages are simple but they are important for a high speed environment like Auckland’s motorways where drivers need to be alert and aware of all other traffic around them at all times,” Mr Parker says.
