Warmer weather and the start of Daylight Saving have been identified as
at risk times for truck crashes and rollovers on the Kaikoura Coast.
During the last five years, the months before and after the start and
end of Daylight Saving have seen the highest number of truck crashes on
State Highway 1, south of Kaikoura.
The NZ Transport Agency¹s transport officers manager Tony McNeill says
not only does the start of spring bring longer, warmer days but also a
seasonal increase in the number of trucks on the highway.
³We are finding that up to 60 per cent of the crashes are happening in
September/October and March/April,² McNeill says. ³This is when we get
the seasonal shift in freight coinciding with Daylight Saving.²
He says moving into warmer weather we know people begin to enjoy more
time outside with barbecues, family and friends. There is also more
outdoor activity in neighbourhoods, such as mowing lawns, which can have
an impact on shift workers sleep patterns.
³Broken sleep can result in fatigue and inattention, which along with
speed remain the three primary causes for crashes on the Kaikoura Coast.²
The Transport Agency has worked closely with freight companies on
reducing the number of rollovers and truck crashes along the Kaikoura
Coast since 2008 when truck rollovers peaked at 11.
This work has focussed on getting drivers to slow down and pull over
when tired. The Keep it 10 Below messaging was, and still is, about
reducing speed specifically at advisory corners.
McNeill says many firms have responded to the risks along this section
of the highway by instigating several mechanisms to enhance driver
support. One example has been putting in place speed alerts if trucks
are driving too quickly through GPS ring-fenced portions of the trip.
There were eight truck rollover crashes along this section of highway
in 2013, compared with five in 2012 and only four in 2011. There have
been two rollovers to date this year.
Since 2003, there have been more than 80 truck rollovers along the
coast.
