Road Safety Week 2023 – Road Safety Heroes

This year, Road Safety Week is taking place on the 15-21 May 2023. It is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about road safety issues and promote safe driving habits. This year’s theme is Be a road safety hero, recognising everyone who helps to make our roads safer and support people after a collision, and explaining how we can all play a part in making journeys safer for everyone.

Safe journeys happen when we design our road network so that human error doesn't result in death or serious injury for anyone using New Zealand’s roads. This approach of safety by design is known as the Safe System approach and includes safety technology in vehicles, speed limits that reflect the roads, amongst many others. We’re proud that our technology and fleet management solutions play an important role in keeping all road users safe, and our focus is to develop solutions that switch poor habits into safe driving behaviours for your drivers, creating a workplace focused on safety. 

As mentioned in our previous blog article, the total economic cost of road injury crashes in New Zealand is estimated at $4.6 billion per year, and around 44 people die as a result of crashes between trucks and cars or motorcycles. In most truck collisions, it is the other road users that are killed, and many truck drivers suffer ongoing mental trauma after a collision. Because of these devastating numbers, we fully endorse and salute Brake Charity’s Road Safety Week and this year’s focus on road safety heroes.

On that note, we’d like to recognise an organisation called Share the Road as a Road Safety Hero here in New Zealand. So far 10,000 people have attended its workshops, and it also holds events, stakeholder meetings and creates resources to promote safety conscious behaviour from drivers and cyclists. Share the Road does important educational work teaching drivers how to share the road with trucks and cyclists in a safe way and vice versa. An impressive 86 percent of cyclists who attended cycling workshops report learning a range of useful techniques and skills for safer riding; with increased skills and confidence while riding in traffic with heavy transport, due to where, when, and how they ride.

As we all have a role to play in keeping our roads safe, we’ve collected a list of ways you can get involved in your community during Road Safety Week 2023:

• Do you know a road safety hero? Someone who is passionate about road safety and has gone above and beyond to make a difference? You can nominate them for this year’s award
• Attend local events: Check with your local council or community groups to see if they are hosting any events during Road Safety Week. If there are no events in your area, you could always consider organising one. You could host a road safety walk, bike ride or run, or a community BBQ with a road safety theme.
• Educate your community: Share Brake Charity’s road safety tips with your friends, family, and neighbours. You could write an article for your local newspaper or community newsletter or create posters and flyers to display in public places.
• Participate in a social media campaign: Use social media to spread the word about road safety. You could share statistics, facts, and tips about safe driving habits using the hashtag #RoadSafetyWeek, and encourage your followers to do the same.
• Volunteer with a local organisation: There are many organisations in New Zealand that work to promote road safety, such as Share the Road. Consider volunteering with one of these organisations during Road Safety Week or throughout the year.

Remember, even small actions can make a big difference when it comes to promoting road safety in your community. Stay safe on the road everyone!