Kiwis avoided road crashes during lockdown but need to take care as roads get busy again
There was a huge drop in injury claims involving cars and motorcycles during Level 4 of the lockdown. As the roads emptied, claims from car crashes fell by 80% and for motorcycles by 76%.
You don’t need to be a pessimist to predict much of that drop in accidents will reverse when New Zealand moves to Level 2 and we emerge from our bubbles and get back on the road.
I was a professional motorcyclist for 13 years, first as a Ministry of Transport patrol rider and then for the Police. Motorcycling has been in my blood for almost 40 years and from my own experience, I know that when I haven’t been on a ride for a while, my skills get rusty.
This week many New Zealanders will find themselves in that position – back on busy roads in their cars and motorbikes for the first time in six weeks. ACC claims data tells us to expect more injuries. We see a spike in motorcycle accidents at the end of winter every year as warmer weather lures people back onto the roads.
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ACC: Peter Daly, ACC Injury Prevention Partner – Road, May 14 2020
