Too many crashes on Tauranga roads

It could easily have been a line borrowed directly from one of TV's most loved and popular TV police shows. 'Let's be careful out there.”

It was a trademark warning from character Sergeant Phil Esterhaus in 'Hill Street Blues” before dispatching his men on street patrol each episode.


Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion.

But 'let's be careful out there” has today also been applied to Tauranga City drivers after a weekend of accidents.

'Eleven even accidents all told,” says Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion.

'Four on Friday and seven Saturday and Sunday. Too many.”

A lot accidents but fortunately, says Ian, there weren't a lot of injuries.

'We can obviously learn a lot about concentrating on what we are doing at any particular moment and on the environment we are in. That would make us all better drivers.”

The police officer can't offer any reasons for the spate of crashes.

'The weather was fine and there were no big events. I just ask people to think and concentrate.

”Forget about what's happening to you that day, where you are going and what you will be doing later. Just focus and take extreme care out there.”

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20 comments

Those car drivers aye

Posted on 02-05-2016 13:03 | By Devils-advocate

Absolutely shocking!


Here we go

Posted on 02-05-2016 13:30 | By Crash test dummies

maybe if the Government put a bit more that 1/2 the Petrol tax and RUC revenues back into roads then they would be a lot safer than now by heaps. The biggest reason for road crashes after driver stupidity/arrogance is the state and condition of roads in NZ.


No reason ?

Posted on 02-05-2016 13:30 | By Amnesia Oasis

The police officer can't offer any reasons for the spate of crashes. I can. They are not "accidents". They are intentional acts of disrespect by uneducated people which result in "collisions", not "accidents" resulting in harm to innocent people.


The reason for many accidents...

Posted on 02-05-2016 14:06 | By Bay Citizen

In Tauranga and WBOP we suffer disproportionately from an unholy mix of heavy trucks, tourists, old people and agricultural vehicles. Most of the dangerous driving I see is directly linked to the frustration these slow coaches engender in other road users, who then attempt risky manoeuvres to overtake. Meanwhile, NZTA is busy making things worse by removing passing lanes, putting in counter-productive 90 zones and changing the Give Way signs on side roads to Stop signs, which on junctions with clear visibility just makes joining the highway more dangerous.


Spot on!

Posted on 02-05-2016 14:29 | By bryceh

Amnesia Oasis!Complete IGNORANCE and a very lack of driving skills.


Drivers...

Posted on 02-05-2016 14:52 | By GreertonBoy

Just need to drive to the conditions and slow down a bit. To me, the problem now is that the 'generation me' are now old enough drive and they care about no one other than themselves and what is happening on farcebook and instagroan. Everyone is in such a hurry to get where they want to be and dont give a flying fig about anyone else. The roads cant be blamed for crashes.. the fact people point out roads that are 'dangerous' means people see the roads are a bit tricky... so slow down then? Otherwise... neck minit! lol


Another Accident Spot

Posted on 02-05-2016 15:00 | By Road Ranger

The Police need to look at Poike Rd from Hollister Lane to SH 29 roundabout from 7.30am to 8am each weekday morning. vehicles are travelling on the wrong side of the road (overtaking law abiding stopped cars)to roundabout then turning left against direction of arrows. There is going to be an almighty accident there one day!!


.

Posted on 02-05-2016 15:16 | By whatsinaname

people need to learn to drive properly and drive to the conditions. nothing to do with anything you have all mentioned. those conditions mean conjestion on the roads..


Police

Posted on 02-05-2016 18:33 | By Capt_Kaveman

have no idea, if they looked around them while out on the road then they could see driver behavior is shocking, i have dashcam evidence of 2 poor driving skills yet the police car did nothing


Bay Citizen

Posted on 03-05-2016 06:54 | By maildrop

Rubbish. You roll out the old favourites. I don't see many agricultural vehicles. Trucks are the opposite of slow coaches. Then you blame "tourists" - the favourite of them all. This has been proven to be complete and utter rubbish. New Zealand's terrible road stats are the result of terrible driving by New Zealanders! The crashes are caused by morons not driving to the conditions or the law. Speed is one of the key factors and Kiwis fondness for completely ignoring speed limits. Throw in unfit vehicles, uninsured and unlicensed drivers, drugs and dangerous truck drivers and you have all the ingredients that make New Zealand's roads among the deadliest. Kiwi problem.


It always amazes me

Posted on 03-05-2016 09:27 | By earlybird

how many drivers drive without lights in the early morning or evening gloom. They may be able to see BUT they cannot be seen easily. A quick glance to the right before you pull out and you may not see them. I saw 2 on the way to work this morning - the street lights were still on.


Maildrop

Posted on 03-05-2016 09:37 | By Bay Citizen

By tourists, I was referring to domestic tourists, in campervans ,not foreigners in normal cars. On SH2 near Katikati, there are plenty of ag vehicles, tractors, sprayers etc. Not a huge problem in themselves and they mostly pull over, but they do contribute to some of the issue. Trucks DO go slow. They are limited to 90. I'm not saying that they should go faster, but they should allow others to pass more, or include more opportunities to pass them built into our roads. It would be interesting to research the underlying causes of crashes. Speed is definitely one of them, but too often, speed is implicated when the real cause was some slow coach that may have a perfect record of driving, but sees plenty of accidents "in his rearview mirror" as the saying goes.


The Police

Posted on 03-05-2016 10:39 | By BullShtAlert

Police seem more interested in speed cameras and speed guns, iphones and paperwork, than actually sitting on the side of the road observing some of the idiotic behaviour of stupid drivers, then ticketing them.


SH2 Concerns

Posted on 03-05-2016 12:11 | By The author of this comment has been removed.

Recently retired to WBOP after some years in Taranaki. After looking for a home in Tauranga,we could only afford a home at Katikati. We travel a few times a week to Bayfair Aqua Centre for my wife's exercise program.Don't mind the early morning traffic, but overall so many take high risks during overtaking.We need to sell up and move into city with the idea of future use of public transport as one becomes older.Any ideas of lower value homes?


Roading

Posted on 03-05-2016 19:19 | By Alan Davidson

It's really nothing to do with bad driving at peak hours , it's just the sudden congestion over the past few years , Tauranga wasn't ready for this overloading of our City roads . Without question our quiet streets & main arterial routes in & out of the City , just aren't coping ,however by giving yourself an extra 15 mins & start getting used to delays , our temperament towards something we have no control over at present should keep us all with our eyes on the road and showing some courtesy ,a positive from this , is witnessing a progressive City .


The mess

Posted on 16-05-2016 12:43 | By Crash test dummies

When NZTA is encouraged to spend $500m odd on the TEL to Paengaroa and now another $520m on SH2 north to Waihi, what an utter waste of money all that is. The obvious and best plan here is to get SH29 widened to 4 lanes all the way to SH1


@ Alan Davidson

Posted on 17-05-2016 15:41 | By Crash test dummies

So you are saying that the change in conditions on the road are not being allowed for by drivers, they are being aggressive as a response rather than sensible and defensive. The result is more accidents. So spending $520m on those roads will not remedy anything right?


blame it on bad driving

Posted on 26-05-2016 19:25 | By jencap

I see nothing wrong with NZ roads but a lot wrong with the standard of driving. The key to good driving is consideration, observation and concentration, all sadly lacking in many drivers. Speeding, risky overtaking and sloppy indicating all make for dangerous driving, plus drink and drugs. Does nobody get it?


Convenient scapegoat

Posted on 29-05-2016 09:47 | By putamadre

How long will the majority of NZ drivers continue to expiate themselves for their extremely high crash rate by using the same old tired worn-out scapegoats of "road conditions" and "vehicle fitness"? I have driven in third world countries which have roads which are in nowhere near the excellent state of NZ roads, and despite this, there are almost no crashes, and even when there are, they are far less serious than the ones we have here. Not only that, but the majority of the vehicles are in very poor mechanical state, WOF's don't exist. Many are literally held together with wire, totally bald tires, no functioning turn signals, etc. How do we explain this paradox? Quite simply. Those drivers have one one important quality that sadly most NZ drivers lack........Respect.


@ putamadre

Posted on 30-05-2016 13:39 | By Crash test dummies

Not only respect is lacking, it is a defensive attitude that is missing, instead there is aggression and arrogance rolled into a maximum speed attitude, at a max speed when it goes wrong it all goes wrong.


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