Law

The government values tourist dollars more than human lives

The New Zealand government is directly responsible for ongoing serious accidents involving foreign drivers, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says the government knows perfectly well that many overseas drivers lack the skills or awareness to drive New Zealand roads.

Road safety campaigner blasts NZ government’s ‘culture of silence’ regarding accidents involving foreign drivers

An outspoken road safety campaigner has blasted the New Zealand government’s ‘culture of silence’ regarding accidents involving foreign drivers.

Clive Matthew-Wilson, who edits the car review website dogandlemon.com, says:

“Democracies work best when vital information is freely available. But where accidents involving foreign drivers are concerned, we face a near blackout of important information from the police and the government.”

Warrant of Fitness system ‘broken’

The New Zealand government must act to rebuild a ‘broken’ Warrant of Fitness system, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says the WOF system “has gone from bad to worse since 2013.”

In 2013, WOF-related issues, such as bald tyres, contributed to 12 fatal crashes. By 2018, WOF-related issues had risen 400%, contributing to 51 fatal accidents.

Innocent people die because of unsafe roads and inadequate enforcement

The recent accident near Kaikoura, where two Malaysian children and their parents were killed in a head-on collision with a truck, was easily preventable, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, an outspoken road safety campaigner, says:

“First, if the road had had a median barrier, that accident could not have happened.”

“Second, many tourist accidents are related to fatigue. Tourists are tired and make a simple mistake that costs them their lives."

Time to move e-scooters off footpaths

The decision to ban certain brands of e-scooter doesn’t mean the remaining e-scooters are safe, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says e-scooters were effectively sneaked onto the nation’s footpaths without proper safety assessments.

“E-scooters offer nothing that biking and walking don’t offer. It’s hypocritical for the government to say it’s worried about obesity, yet allow short-trip technology that effectively replaces exercise.”

Government to blame for latest bus fatalities

The government has blood on its hands over the latest fatal bus accident, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says:

"The simple truth is, if the occupants of that bus had been wearing seatbelts, they'd probably be alive right now. There's no excuse: the police and government have been saying for years that people need to wear seatbelts, yet the bus industry is allowed to operate without them."

Minister should resign over e-scooter death

Yesterday's e-scooter death was the result of corrupt and reckless mismanagement by the government and the Minister of Transport should resign, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says e-scooters were effectively sneaked onto the nation’s footpaths, without consultation and without a proper safety plan.

Government risks voter backlash over lowered speed limits

The government is likely to face a significant voter backlash if speed limits are reduced unreasonably, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says:

“It’s currently fashionable in government circles to blame speed for causing increased road deaths. The facts don’t support this view.”

“The government’s own statistics show that speed alone is a factor in just 15% of fatal crashes.”

Alcohol still the worst drug on our roads

The government needs to treat alcohol as the most dangerous recreational drug, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says legal drugs, such as alcohol, are killing far more people than illegal drugs.[1]

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