New Zealand road safety being targeted

A series of road improvements are to be carried out in New Zealand to help boost road safety. The New Zealand Government has identified 870km of roads that suffer high crash rates and which are in need of safety upgrades. A budget of US$901.5 million (NZ$1.4 billion) has been set for the work, which should be complete by 2021. Rumble strips, guard rail and shoulder widening are planned to be carried out.

The US road network features poor pedestrian safety, a problem the authorities are struggling to tackle. According to data from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 5,977 pedestrians died on US roads in 2017. Of concern is that this is the second highest figure since 1990, with 2016 having seen the peak with a figure 2% higher. Worryingly, pedestrian deaths are some 46% higher than they were in 2009. Of note too is that road deaths increased by 3% for occupants of SUVs and by

A major road safety issue for the UK has been highlighted by a recent study carried out jointly by the Road Safety Foundation and insurance firm AGEAS. This study has revealed that 60% of fatal crashes in the UK for the 2015-2017 period occurred on just 12.5% of the road network. Numerous studies show that rural A roads with no centre divider and just one lane in either direction have the highest rates of fatal crashes. Two roads in particular, one on the Isle of Wight and the other in Derbyshire, have part

Road safety is under scrutiny in Japan and New Zealand.