- Hon Chris Bishop
A new commercial vehicle safety centre in Taupō is now open, helping target unsafe heavy vehicles and improve road safety on one of New Zealand's busiest freight routes, Transport Minister Chris Bishop says.
"Keeping people safe on our roads is a top priority, and that includes making sure heavy vehicles are operating safely," Mr Bishop says.
"From 2012 to 2021, heavy vehicles were involved in more than 20 per cent of fatal crashes, despite making up only around 6 per cent of total travel. Nearly 90 per cent of those killed in these crashes were not in the heavy vehicle.
"That's why we're investing more than $200 million in a national network of new and upgraded safety centres to better target high-risk operators and reduce serious crashes.
"Taupō is the latest location to open in a network of 12 new and upgraded safety centres the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) is building on high-volume freight routes around the country. Through these centres, NZ Police and NZTA will be able to quickly address unsafe driving practices and non-compliance amongst heavy vehicles in real-time and reduce the risk of serious or fatal crashes on our roads.
"Located at the intersection of SH1 and SH5, the centre uses in-road scales, number plate recognition cameras, and electronic signage to monitor heavy vehicles in real time.
"This allows NZ Police and NZTA to quickly identify issues like overweight loads, expired Certificates of Fitness, and that drivers are taking their rest breaks.
"These new and upgraded safety centres will help ensure heavy vehicle operators are playing by the rules, while keeping compliant vehicles moving.
"Compliance officers can also focus efforts on high-risk cases, while automation does the rest, boosting safety and efficiency for all road users."
Notes to editor:
- When a heavy vehicle is required for inspection, its number plate will be shown on the electronic signage, telling the driver to pull into the centre for an inspection by the NZ Police Commercial Vehicle Safety Team (CVST).
- When Police aren't onsite, the in-road technology still collects data on passing vehicles 24/7. Using this data, NZTA and NZ Police can better target education and compliance work to where the safety issues are in the industry.
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Centres are already operating in Glasnevin (north Canterbury), Rakaia (south Canterbury), Ohakea (Manawatū), Paengaroa (Bay of Plenty) and Stanley Street (central Auckland).
- The Bombay CVSC, south of Auckland, will be the next to be completed, followed by locations in Wellington and Napier. Further centres are planned for in Marsden (Northland), Albany (north Auckland), and Tauranga Port (Bay of Plenty).
- Once completed, these new and upgraded CVSCs will mean 46 per cent of the heavy vehicle network will be covered.
- You can find out more about the national programme at: https://nzta.govt.nz/commercial-driving/trucks-and-tow-trucks/the-commercial-vehicle-safety-programme
