Transport

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.”

Congestion charges hand over the roads to the wealthy

Congestion charges effectively encourage wealthier people to use cars, says the car review website dogandlemon.com. 

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says:

“Rich people love congestion charges. They simply pay a little extra for having the roads cleared of poor people who can’t afford to drive.”

“Because congestion charges don’t bother the wealthy, the wealthy will continue to drive their cars as if they owned the roads.”

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.”

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."

Bring back the six-monthly Warrant of Fitness

The government should bring back six-monthly Warrant of Fitness inspections for the majority of cars and light commercial vehicles, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

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

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.

Banning unsafe cars may not improve safety

Attempts to improve safety by banning the import of older vehicles may actually keep older vehicles on the road longer, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an outspoken road safety campaigner, says the government needs to remember what happened in 2008.

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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