Dr Chris Wakeman: Trauma surgeon on warnings speed limit increases will lead to more deaths, injuries and traffic

The New Zealand Trauma Surgeons Committee believe the Government’s plan to increase speed limits will ultimately lead to more deaths, injuries and traffic overall. 

They’ve issued a statement warning New Zealand doesn’t have the appropriate infrastructure for high-speed travel. 

And they warn many parents are fearful of speed increases around schools. 

Trauma surgeon Dr Chris Wakeman joined Andrew Dickens. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
News Talk zibby the Trauma Surgeon's Committee. I had no
idea there was such a thing. But the Trauma New
Zealand Trauma Surgeon's Committee believe the government's plan to increase
speed limits will ultimately lead to more deaths, injuries and
traffic overall, and they've made a statement about this. They
warn that New Zealand doesn't have the appropriate infrastructure for

(00:23):
high speed travel, and they warn that many parents are
fearful of speed increases around schools. And Chris Wakeman, Doctor
Chris Wakeman is the chair of the Trauma Surgeons Committee
and joins us this Friday Night Halla Chris, good evening.
Why do you believe the speed increases will lead to
more deaths?

Speaker 2 (00:44):
We know that from international studies, but even just since
twenty twenty when these speed limits were reduced in Auckland
that have the rate of the mortality of injury in
New Aukland region. We know international studies the pedestrian zones
having those at thirty k's an hour again halves the

(01:05):
rate of death from pedestrian injuries and that's why well
established in such studies as London, Edinburgh, Paris and Berlin.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Can you give us some numbers on that, because I
have to say many people have said this already on
this issue, and they always say, you know, it prevents deaths,
and then everyone goes, well how many and you don't
get numbers, and I think numbers help well.

Speaker 2 (01:27):
The data from Auckland have suggested since twenty twenty they
have halved the rate, so that and that's considerable.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
You see what you see what I mean? You know
if they've halved the rate, that maybe one person actually
got injured instead of two. Or is it twenty ten
instead of twenty what? Or is it twenty What.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Are we try to what are we trying to achieve
by increasing the rates the speed lay rates? Do we
really believe that it is going to increase productivity the country?
I mean, I think that's the Minister's Are Transports response
that by speeding the spending the roads up is going
to speed the country up to speed. We've got no

(02:06):
proof of this. No, I know that it's going to
increase injuries.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
And that can I say while I ask you for numbers,
I've asked them for numbers as well, and they don't
have numbers either.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
This is a whole lot. I don't have the numbers
as chair of the committee.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
Own okay, and sometimes Simeon doesn't have the numbers about
the increasing productivity. In fact, it was specifically that and
he didn't have the answer either. So here we have
a debate where everyone's yelling at each other, but nobody
actually really has numbers.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yes, we've got percentages in the data from the Auckland,
the Healthy Auckland Getting Together research group.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
So, knowing that the law has already been passed, what
are you hoping for for making these statements right now?

Speaker 2 (02:48):
What education? Regarding that it's not necessarily the right thing,
but also I feel strongly that we need to address
some of the problems with our roads. I'm in South Islander.
If I drive from christ to want Actor, for instance,
as soon as I turn off towards Gerial days, there's
no passing lanes. There's immediate strips roads a B grade

(03:09):
at the best roads, the only A grade roads into
international what's called an international A grade road where it's
safe to travel one hundred and ten kilometers an hour,
places like the Waikato Express Place.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Well, look, I can give you an example. I can
give you an example closer to you, and that's Lake
har were where there's a school just outside of the lake.
It's actually in the rural areas. It's in a one
hundred k zone and yet parents are coming there to
pick up and drop off kids all the time, and
it feels probably dangerous and you would think that anybody
would want that a decrease in the in the speed

(03:43):
limits in those areas.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
So yeah, And the thing we also forget about is
because originally we wrote to the Minister of Health, Minister
Transport and acc and the not on effect from accidents
as far as acc the cost of the country, the
cost of the re times trying to get into rehab
institutions is huge, has a very limited head injury rehab institutions.

(04:08):
The only one for children is Auckland for instance, so
South Island head and children have to go to Auckland
for rehab. We're very underfunded for rehab and this is
just going to make things worse.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Well, very good, doctor Chris Wakeman. I thank you so
much and all the best and enjoy your weekend. And
this is news Talk ZEBB. Some people say, well, should
we always make all the limits thirty kilometers and then
we'll never have deaths or injuries. No, I don't believe so.
I believe that you should have the appropriate speed for
the appropriate road, and some of our roads are not
appropriate to be going fifty on, let alone one hundred,

(04:42):
and some of our roads are absolutely appropriate for going
one and one hundred and twenty. I would like to
see variability in our speed limits, but apparently some un
believes in a blanket speed limit.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow
the podcast. Asked on iHeartRadio