Survivable Speeds

Hundreds of thousands of people walk and cycle in Wellington region - more than anywhere else in NZ. With so many people on the streets, we also have a high rate of cars crashing into vulnerable road users. These videos follow three Wellingtonians as they become "Sexy Zen Drivers".

Safe speeds are sometimes discussed in terms of ‘survivable speeds’ – the speeds at which a person is likely to survive a crash. 
The region has a high proportion of narrow, winding roads where the margin for error is very low. For a pedestrian, a crash impact speed of 30 kph rather than 50 kph is very likely to be the difference between life and death.

Wellington region’s road toll over the last 30 years

Over the last 30 years the number of people exceeding the speed limit has declined and so has the region's road toll. 

Wellington region's average annual road toll for 1981-1990 was 54.2 deaths Over the 2011- -2015 period, the region's average annual road toll was down to 11.8. 

The reduction in the region’s road toll may be the result of safer vehicles, roading improvements, advances in Policing and accident injury treatment, and better road user behaviour. The lower road toll, without a reduction in the total number of crashes is an indication that the collisions are occurring at more survivable speeds. The diagram above shows the speeds at which a pedestrian/cyclist or light vehicle occupant is likely to survive.