In the year to 31 March 2021, 2,491 people were killed or seriously injured on roads compared with 2,803 in the previous year. The COVID-19 restrictions are likely to have contributed to this lower result. From April to June 2021, however, the numbers increased significantly. As at 30 June 2021, there were 160 more deaths and serious injuries than in the previous 12 months.
Deaths and serious injuries as at 31 March each year
We collaborated closely with Police, Ministry of Transport, local government, WorkSafe and many others to implement Road to Zero which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the land transport system by 40 percent by 2030. We made good progress this year in embedding the Road to Zero governance structure within Waka Kotahi and updating our implementation plan. To measure our progress, we developed a comprehensive outcomes framework, which was also the basis for the first annual Road to Zero Monitoring Report released by the Minister of Transport in August 2021.
The Road to Zero Speed and Infrastructure Programme (formerly the Safe Networks Programme) is a programme targeting roads and roadsides that offer the greatest potential to reduce deaths and serious injuries. The programme includes safety treatments and speed management on state highways and local roads. The programme delivered over $1 billion of safety improvements during the 2018–21 NLTP, which included implementing safe and appropriate speeds across 584 km of the state highway network.
The Waka Kotahi Board endorsed the Speed and Infrastructure Programme business case in May 2021. This means we have a clear direction for the next ten years on our programme of safety improvements, such as median and side barrier installations, intersection improvements via roundabouts and raised safety platforms and speed reviews.
When speed limits are safer, and people drive within the speed limits, it makes crashes less likely to occur and it reduces the severity of crashes when they do occur. In April 2021 Waka Kotahi opened consultation on the Setting of Speed Limits Rule 2021. This draft rule proposed a new regulatory framework for setting speed limits. It takes a whole of network approach where decisions about safety-related infrastructure improvements, speed limit changes and the placement of safety cameras are made together.
The Road Safety Partnership Programme (RSPP) was established between Waka Kotahi, Police and the Ministry of Transport to reduce harm on our roads through collaborative effort.
This year we developed RSPP 2021–24 and strengthened our programme assurance mechanisms. RSPP 2021–24 aligns with Road to Zero and includes a comprehensive framework to support the achievement of target outcomes. We continue to work on identifying additional measures to help support successful delivery of RSPP 2021–24.
Our regulatory function will play a critical role in achieving the 40 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries. We’ll also contribute to improving rail safety through our role as the rail safety regulator. We’ve been laying foundations to strengthen our regulatory compliance and enforcement function, and we continued to build on this over the past year.
We made good progress in implementing aspects of Tū ake, tū maia our regulatory strategy.
The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and contractors is our top priority. We’re committed to creating a risk-based approach to health and safety – not only within our own organisation, but across the wider transport industry.
This year we launched our new internal health, safety and security reporting system called Kōrero Mai. The number of incidents reported by employees increased significantly compared to last year. This increased reporting provides a greater visibility of issues and shows a positive trend in our people's awareness in reporting.
