Trauma surgeons in New Zealand are calling for “everyday vigilance” on the roads this year after a “heartening” reduction in road deaths in 2023.

There were 341 road fatalities in 2023, down from 372 in 2022.

Nineteen people died on NZ roads over the Christmas-New Year holiday period (which ran from 4pm on December 22, 2023, to 6am on January 3, 2024), compared with 21 over the same period last year.

“There are signs the country is back on the right path towards a “road to zero” and we want to see that trend continue this year and beyond,” said Dr Chris Wakeman, chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons’ Aotearoa New Zealand Trauma Committee.

Road deaths rose significantly in 2022 compared to the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 where travel into and around the country was restricted.

The increase was a blow for the Waka Kotahi – New Zealand Transport Agency Road to Zero campaign, which ultimately aims to reduce road deaths to zero.

“It’s been a tough few years as we’ve navigated Covid-19 and the post-pandemic landscape and a lot of the difficulties are things we can’t control,” says Chris.

“Road deaths aren’t one of them. As drivers, we have it within our power to keep our roads, and thus our communities, safe.”

Of the 2500 New Zealanders who suffer a major trauma each year, half are injured or killed by road or traffic incidents, including car, motorcycle, pedestrian and e-scooter crashes.

Chris Wakeman.

“It’s our number one source of severe trauma in New Zealand and it is entirely preventable.”

Chris says factors like alcohol, fatigue and speed all contribute to road injuries and fatalities.

“While there is a particular focus on road safety over the Christmas-New Year period, Kiwis die on New Zealand roads all year round. Remember that the next time you get behind the wheel of a car.”

Chris is a general, colorectal and trauma surgeon based in Christchurch Hospital and a senior lecturer at the University of Otago Medical School in Christchurch.