New Zealand

Former safety minister backs police chase ban

A former Minister for Transport Safety has backed a call to limit police chases to extreme emergencies.  

Harry Duynhoven, who was Minister for Transport Safety under the Helen Clark government and is now mayor of New Plymouth, says:  

“A simple change of legislation would strongly discourage many dangerous high speed chases.”  

Duynhoven believes that the police should have the power to permanently seize any privately owned vehicle used to flee from the police, provided that it isn’t stolen.  

Time to ban police car chases – expert

A leading road safety campaigner has called for a ban on police car chases, except in ‘extreme emergencies’. 

Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the car review website dogandlemon.com, was commenting after a police chase in South Auckland, in which the fleeing car collided with an innocent motorist. The motorist’s car was written off and the driver injured.   

Safer Roads plan “a vindication”, says safety campaigner

The New Zealand government has finally recognised that safer cars and roads are the key to improving road safety, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Commenting on the government’s ‘Safer Roads’ plan, editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says:  

“The saddest thing about the government’s ‘Safer Roads’ document is that it’s about fifteen years late. Most of these proposals to improve the safety of cars and roads were proposed by me ten to fifteen years ago, and I was widely attacked for proposing them.

WOF changes will end in tears - expert

  

Changes to the vehicle WOF system will result in more road deaths, says the car review website dogandlemon.com. 

Cellphone ban an 'utter failure'

The New Zealand government’s cellphone ban for drivers has been an utter failure, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson – who is an active road safety campaigner – says:

Lights on to survive Christmas

Cars with their lights on are up to 25% less likely to end up in a fatal daytime collision this Christmas, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Daytime running lights give the gift of life

Daytime running lights – which can prevent up to 25% of daytime fatal accidents – are the Christmas gift that keeps on giving, says the car review website 

Make car reversing cameras compulsory

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All new cars should be required to have reversing cameras and parking sensors, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Editor Clive Matthew-Wilson, who is an active road safety campaigner, was commenting after the latest driveway death, in which a family vehicle hit and killed a two-year-old boy.

Last day to comment on WOF changes

Motorists who approve or disapprove of the proposed changes to the Warrant of Fitness system need to comment by the end of today.

Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the car review website dogandlemon.com – which is strongly opposed to the changes – says the government’s WOF changes have been very deceptively packaged.

“The government has done a brilliant job of presenting the changes to the vehicle licensing system as a measure to save ordinary motorists time and money. Actually, the average motorist will save very little and may lose a lot.”

Hidden agenda behind WOF changes

Massive trucks may soon be cruising the country’s roads without having had an independent safety inspection, says the car review website dogandlemon.com.

Dogandlemon.com editor Clive Matthew-Wilson says the government’s WOF changes are part of a larger plan to let commercial vehicle fleet operators issue their own in-house safety certificates.