Waka Kotahi releases confronting new road safety video

Waka Kotahi has released a new road safety video depicting a day in the life of a New Zealand Police highway patrol officer.

The video begins by showing a police officer going about his daily duties including traffic stops, refueling his patrol car, and talking to his family on the phone.

Further into the 60 second clip, a compilation of drivers can be heard justifying their reasons for speeding before we are shown flashbacks of a fatal crash of a speeding motorist the officer attended in the past.

The message, “please slow down” is then shown at the end to encourage viewers to stick to the speed limit.

Since being uploaded last weekend, the video has racked up over 90,000 views on YouTube.

It has also reached international viewers with Australian automotive news publication Drive reporting the video as “chilling”.

The New Zealand Police reported that 21 people died in road crashes over the holiday period with 2022 also becoming the worst year for deaths on our roads in the past four years.

Although there are often other factors at play with regard to the nation’s road toll, it comes as no surprise that speed has yet again become the target in a road safety campaign.