Mount Maunganui has been singled out for having one of the worst vehicle collision rates in the country.
According to claims data from insurance company State, the Mount had the fourth-highest collision rate in New Zealand over the past 12 months, and the highest outside of Auckland and Christchurch city centres.
The top three locations for collisions were the busy streets of central Auckland, central Christchurch and Henderson, in west Auckland.
Some 397 claims were lodged following crashes in the Mount – 50 more than Palmerston North and 93 more than central Hamilton.
Other areas in the top 10 included Auckland's Mount Wellington, central Dunedin and Albany. The data reveals that 42 per cent of collisions took place between the hours of 1pm-6pm on weekdays.
State's executive general manager Wayne Tippet says the latest numbers serve as a reminder of the importance of putting safety first when stepping into a vehicle.
'Regardless of your age, driving experience or time of day that you're on the road, safety has got to be the number one priority for all of us when we get behind the wheel,” says Wayne.
'Our claims data shows that most of the collisions are happening in busy centres at busy times of the day, and while it's tempting to multi-task while sitting in slow moving traffic or speed through an intersection as the lights are turning red, it's not worth it.
'The data is a good reminder to stay extra alert at busy accident spots like major intersections, when vehicles merge lanes, as well as during the busy hours of the day.”
In response to the data, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency say their priority is to ensure safety is continually improved on New Zealand's roads, and point to ongoing roadworks in Mount Maunganui as an example of that commitment.
'We have a vision of a New Zealand where no one is killed or seriously injured in road crashes,” says agency director regional relationships David Speirs.
'We all have a part to play to keep ourselves and others safe - things like wearing our seatbelts, not looking at our phones, following the speed limit and driving to the conditions. But skilled, focused drivers are only one piece of the puzzle.
'To create a safe system, we must look at all the factors that contribute - infrastructure such as median barriers and rumble strips, safe speeds and the safety rating of our vehicles. It's the only way we can create an Aotearoa where we can all get home safe to our whānau.
'Locally, Waka Kotahi is constructing the Baypark to Bayfair Link, which will reduce conflict between state highway and local road traffic, supports local road projects with Tauranga City Council, such as the like Totara Street safety improvements, and is underway with a business case to look at the future of Hewletts Road, which will include safety initiatives.”
Director of transport at Tauranga City Council Brendan Bisley is also hopeful that improvements to the Mount's main corridors, such as Maunganui Road, will help reduce the number of incidents.
'Tauranga City Council has money allocated over the next 10 years for road safety improvements across the city,” he says.
'These range from safety upgrades at intersections to improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, to larger safety improvements such as those due to get under way on Maunganui Road this year.
'These projects are ongoing, and council analyses accident data when considering where safety interventions are required to the local roading network.”