Safety

Time to ban reckless police pursuits

Innocent people will continue to die until the police stop recklessly pursuing fleeing vehicles, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, describes the latest Independent Police Conduct Authority report on a fatal police chase in New Zealand as “a wakeup call to the authorities”. 

Police use doubtful science to justify rigid speed enforcement

The police ignored basic road safety science when they decided to rigidly enforce speed limits, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

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

NZ Government inaction killed two Chinese democracy campaigners

The government is responsible for the deaths of two Chinese democracy campaigners, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

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

Covid-19 likely to slash road toll

The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to reduce the road toll to historically low levels, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

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

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 negligence driving high road toll

The New Zealand government has utterly failed to take effective action to lower the road toll, says the car review website, dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson was commenting after two middle-aged tourists collided head-on with a truck in rural Canterbury last Sunday.

“Many New Zealand rural roads are like a staircase without a handrail: you make a mistake and there’s a high chance of getting hurt.”

“Worse, this is the second fatal head-on collision on this road in recent years.”

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