Source: New Zealand Police (National News)
Police has partnered with Z Energy and 250 bottle stores to encourage drivers and drinkers to plan ahead to keep safe over Queen’s Birthday weekend.
“As a Road to Zero strategy partner, we are committed to reducing death and injury on our roads, and we work alongside partners to do this,” says Superintendent Steve Greally, Director National Road Policing Centre.
Z Energy and bottle stores have come onboard to help share our road safety messages to their customers.
“Z Energy is committed to supporting the Road to Zero initiative and proud to partner with Police on encouraging all motorists to stay safe on the road as they travel around Aotearoa,” says Z Energy’s Head of Safety and Wellbeing, Andrew Shand.
“We have a number of our team on the road on any given day, including fuel delivery drivers, and we want to ensure that they, along with any other motorist, can return home safely at the end of each day.”
Z Energy will be putting road safety messages on their coffee cup covers and 250 bottle stores throughout the country will have posters in store asking customers to think about how they are going to get home safely after their night out.
The three Z Energy messages are – Always wear your seatbelt, Slow Down Arrive Alive, and Drive without distraction.
The bottle store poster messages include ‘Get a ride from your mate’s mum, probably in her PJs’ and ‘Plan your ride home before you head out’.
“These partnerships allow Police to reach drivers and drinkers in a new way, allowing our road safety messages to get right to the ones we are targeting,” says Greally.
Before you get behind the wheel make sure you are well rested, have eaten and hydrated. Plan your journey to avoid congestion. There will be a lot of traffic on the roads so be patient and keep a safe following distance.
“Travellers may also hear our radio and Spotify adverts asking drivers to drive safe and have a good one. How you behave on the road affects you, your passengers, and everyone around you, so stay within the speed limit, make sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt, put the phone down and drive sober to arrive alive.”
Police may also pop into a Z Energy station to remind drivers to make good driving decisions and into bottle stores to ask if customers have planned their way home.
“Getting out in the community sharing prevention messages is a great way of minimising harm on the roads.”
Aligned with our road safety Partner Waka Kotahi, who is sharing road safety messages in over 150 sports clubrooms and provincial pubs, Police wants everyone to have a good weekend and enjoy their Queen’s Birthday plans with friends and whanau wherever you are, and of course to be safe.
“Police has no issue with people drinking responsibly. What we want is for you to have a plan sorted to get home safely ahead of time so that you don’t make a bad decision later on and drive,” says Greally.
“Organising a sober driver, having money put aside for a taxi or uber, knowing what time your bus or train is, or arranging for mum/dad/a friend/your partner to pick you up later are all great ways to ensure you can enjoy your night and get home safely.”
Police are also running road safety messages through Facebook and the Met Service’s online app based on the weather forecast – for example ‘Rain forecasted today means roads may be slippery with low visibility – keep a safe distance when driving.’
Three people died and 24 were seriously injured over Queen’s Birthday last year.
“Slow down and drive to the conditions, always wear your seatbelt, don’t drive distracted and drive sober.”
Police will continue to be visible on the roads throughout the long weekend, targeting unsafe driving behaviour to minimise serious injury or death from a road crash, and checkpoints will be operating any time anywhere to breath test drivers, check vehicles for road worthiness, and make sure everyone is wearing their seatbelt.
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