Speed campaign: safe limits

New Zealand’s Road to Zero strategy sets a target to reduce deaths and serious injuries on roads, cycleways and footpaths by 40 percent (from 2018 levels) over the next 10 years. A key action in Road to Zero revolves around ensuring the speed limits on New Zealand’s roads are safe and appropriate. We want everyone who uses our roads to get to where they’re going safely. To save lives and prevent serious injuries, we can set safer speed limits.

Committed to creating a safe transport system, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and local authorities are reviewing speed limits where the current limit doesn’t match the road and the environment around it. Even when speed doesn’t cause the crash, it’s what will most likely determine whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed from that crash.

Currently, around 600 people are killed or seriously injured in speed-related crashes on our roads each year.

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The target audience

This campaign targets all New Zealanders who use the roads. We want to raise awareness of the work Waka Kotahi and local authorities are doing to make our roads safer through setting safe speeds and increase understanding on why it’s important to ensure speed limits match the road, and how it’s used. When speeds are safe for the road environment, simple mistakes are less likely to end in tragedy.

Our approach

Our environments have changed since speed limits were originally set. There’s been significant growth and development, and we’re continuing to use different modes of transport. It’s important that we’re setting safe speed limits to keep everyone safe.

As Waka Kotahi and local authorities continue to set safe speeds, it’s important that people understand the why behind the proposals for change. This campaign aims to increase public awareness and understanding of the fact that some speed limits are no longer fit for purpose and how setting safe speeds plays an important part in keeping everyone safe – no matter how they travel.

The campaign

The campaign launched on 29 November 2021 with advertising on television, radio, and digital channels such as video-on-demand, social media and YouTube.