Safety on Roads as Children Return to School

1 February 2019

As children return to school over the next week, Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) urges drivers to be mindful of the 20kph speed limit when passing school buses to protect the safety of our children.

According to the Ministry of Transport’s road crash statistics, there were a total of 379 road deaths for the year of 2018 and the number of fatalities on open roads and rural state highways was significantly higher than urban roads.

“These tragic figures are particularly concerning for rural families as our children often travel to school along treacherous open roads used by logging trucks or milk tankers, for example,” says RWNZ Education Portfolio Convenor, Sue Higgins.

“It is essential that parents in rural New Zealand can rely on the school bus service as the safest mode of transport for their children.”

“To keep our children safe on their journeys to and from school, New Zealand drivers must adhere to the 20kph speed limit when passing school buses,” Mrs. Higgins says.

ENDS.

For further information, or to schedule an interview, please contact:

Rural Women New Zealand
National Office
04 473 5524
media@ruralwomennz.nz