Rugby kids lead 'slow down' campaign

Publish Date : 09 Dec 2016
Rugby kids lead 'slow down' campaign
Players from the Pakuranga Club have joined the 'Love Your Local' campaign. From left to right: Abby Lockhart, Tayla Kay, Kylah Olliver, Mitchell Robinson, Kobe Kay and Ruka Smythe.

Children from the Pakuranga Rugby Club are asking passing motorists to drive slower to reduce the risk of them being hit by a car.

The club is one of many organisations, clubs and individuals who have joined Auckland Transport's "Love Being a Local" campaign to promote safer speeds on Auckland's roads.

There has been a serious accident almost every year in the Edgewater, Pakuranga area since 2011 with speed being a factor in every one of them.

Slow down and take notice

Stephen Hackett from the Pakuranga Rugby Club says, "We are involved because we want to make our community safer for everyone to enjoy."

Please take notice of the surroundings and slow down, says Howick Local Board member Adele White.

"Any reminder we can give to motorists to slow down while driving in this area is important. The loss of someone in a road crash is devastating and affects the whole community," she says.

Think about others around you

The campaign aims to remind people to consider the welfare of local people when driving through a community says Kathryn King, AT, Cycling, Walking and Safety manager.

"Everyone wants to get from A to B as quickly as possible, but motorists have to remember that people are living in the areas they are travelling through. 

"Speed is the biggest contributing factor in serious accidents and the faster you go, the more horrific the accident if you crash," she says.

The numbers

A pedestrian hit at 70km/h has a 96 per cent chance of dying, compared with a 40 per cent chance at 50km/h and 5 per cent at 30km/h.

Speeding was a contributing factor in 25 per cent of serious accidents on Auckland's roads between 2011 and 2015.

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