Another long weekend is approaching and I wish to share with you a discussion I have had with Acting Senior Sergeant Ashley GORE of the Road Policing Team at Auckland City District Police. 

Jessica:  Acting Senior Sergeant Gore, we’ve been telling our communities about keeping safe when they drive long distances, especially on long weekends. What are the key messages that you can share with them? 

Ashley: We are very keen for people to travel safely on our roads. They can do this by sticking to the speed limits, driving to the conditions and ensuring that all occupants in the vehicle are wearing their seatbelts. Drivers should remember that the speed limits are not targets, they are the maximum speeds you can drive at when conditions are good. 

Jessica: So you mean to say people should be more cautious of the weather now?

Ashley: We are going into winter and the roads may be slippery because of rain. There are fewer daylight hours and drivers can also get caught out by sun strike. Added to variable weather conditions is increased traffic volumes as people try to go away on a short holiday. 

Jessica: It seems that there is a lot happening on the roads.

Ashley: Exactly, so rather than just thinking of what speed they should be travelling at, people should really consider the conditions of the roads while they are driving. 

Jessica: I like what you said about the weather. Even when driving in the city, as soon as the day changes from a bright day to having rain, the traffic becomes quite chaotic. But when people are driving long distance, all they focus on is getting to the destination as soon as possible instead of considering the road conditions. I find it very intimidating when people follow very close to my car. It’s almost like telling me to drive faster. 

Ashley: Drivers need to understand that in dry conditions there is a two second following rule but in wet conditions, it’s a four second rule. If another vehicle is following you too closely, rather than speeding up, move to the left if it's safe to do so and let the vehicle pass.

Jessica: What are the best practices when driving long distances? 

Ashley: All drivers should check their cars properly before they start their journey.  Ensure your vehicle is road worthy by doing a TWIRL.

T - Tyres

W – Windscreen, wipers & mirrors

I - Indicators

R - Rust

L- Lights

This is not difficult and can be done by just walking around the car, making sure that they are checked and in good conditions. 

Instead of focusing on reaching the destination, take a break so that you can stretch your legs, have something to eat and switch drivers if possible

Jessica: So for Queen’s Birthday weekend, what is the speed tolerance?

Ashley: We want drivers to drive to the speed limit, if the conditions allow. Say for example you are driving along a road with a 100kmh speed limit, it's raining, the traffic has slowed down to about 90kmh. You become impatient and decide to overtake the cars in front of you, speeding up to 102-103kms. While you are only exceeding the speed limit by 2-3kmh, 102km at an impact is a huge speed.  A Police Officer using his or her discretion may give you a fine because he/she has noted that your speed is too fast for the conditions and you are endangering other road users. 

Jessica: Now I understand why some people were confused that they were given fines for driving just 2 or 3 km above the speed limit.

I can see that not driving above the speed limit and according to road conditions must go hand in hand together.

Do you think people are thinking that, if there is a crash, airbags in the cars are going to protect them?

Ashley: This is simply the Law of Physics. People can go on You Tube and watch vehicles being crash tested.

Airbags working together with safety belts help reduce the impact on our bodies when we are in a car crash. Airbags and seatbelts are only effective at lower speeds. At higher speeds, even with both working, we can still be seriously injured or killed.

At crashes we attend we see that, out of all the vehicle occupants involved, those who are not wearing seatbelts are the most harmed.

Jessica: What have you got to say to people who are impatient and want to reach their destination quickly?

Ashley: What people will find is that they can speed up only to find that at some point, they will still have to be in a queue because that is how the traffic is flowing.  Slowing down may take you a bit longer, but life is worth more than all the time in the world and I strongly encourage people to be patient and considerate on the roads.

Jessica : Thank you Acting Senior Sgt GORE, I hope that people will take care to abide by the road rules and I wish to take this opportunity to wish all Asian communities a very enjoyable and safe Queen’s Birthday weekend.