For a start, let me emphasise that just one death on our roads is one death too many. But unlike our Police I actually expect some poor sod is going to either kill him/herself or someone else every holiday weekend.
The rapidly increase number of 1 tonne killing machines on our roads on our roads each year, the booze factor, the impatience of people to get to their destination, people's arrogance and the enforcing of their 'right” to drive exactly how they please, teenage death defiance, meek and mild Clark Kents who, once behind the wheel become the driver from hell.
Tourists zonked out with jet lag, Asian immigrants, barely able to speak English yet handed a licence like candy. All this and more makes our road a killing field.
What to do about it? Education? Nope, doesn't work. How do you re-educate a person's character? Gruesome TV commercials? Now that's a laugh. The powers to be slot the adverts amongst all the other gruesome shows. We have become dulled to horror. We see it in the news, TV shows and Internet games.
There, in my opinion, is no answer. No way to stop road kill other than ridding the road of cars etc. It is part of the way we chose to live, to travel. Speed is essential in this crazy world we live in.
So dear citizens of this most beautiful country, the safest way to get about is the way man has been using for tens of thousands of years… walking. (abridged)
Wayne C Jessop, Mt Maunganui.