State Highway road conditions are now at the touch of a button for drivers following the NZ Transport Agency's (NZTA) latest OnTheMove initiative.

Launched last week, the initiative is a free, customisable travel information service designed to provide travellers with email alerts prior to their journey, about road and driving conditions, incidents and road works on New Zealand's state highways.

The NZ Transport Agency's OnTheMove email alert system is designed to keep drivers up-to-date with state highway road conditions.

NZTA Regional Traffic operations manager Kathryn Musgrave says the new service is a customer-friendly way for road users to check road conditions before they travel on our state highways.

'It's all about helping our customers make smarter travel choices when planning trips on New Zealand state highways.”

'OnTheMove will be useful for road users heading away on long trips including during holidays such as Easter, as well as for commuters and commercial drivers who travel on state highways every day.”

Accessible from any PC or smart device receiving emails, drivers will receive email alerts based on the areas and travel times they specify during the sign-up process.

By selecting relevant routes and/or regions, dates and times they are most likely to travel on the state highway network, drivers will be alerted about major events which may disrupt state highway traffic or require caution.

Minor incidents and general traffic congestion won't be sent out as alerts.

But the NZTA is reminding subscribers to make safety their top priority and avoid the risks of being distracted behind the wheel.

'It's unsafe and illegal to check messages or data on a mobile phone or other device while driving. If you're driving alone, you need to check for alerts before your trip begins or during a rest stop on your journey,” says Kathryn.

'If you're driving with passengers you can ask them to check for alerts during the journey, but always remember that as the driver, for safety's sake your focus must be on the road.”

OnTheMove is an addition to the NZTA's current state highway travel information services, which also include the 0800 4HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49) phone line and the online service www.highwayinfo.govt.nz

Drivers can sign up for their OnTheMove alerts at www.onthemove.govt.nz