Road Safety Week

It's Road Safety Week and this year's focus is on seat belts and distractions, with the theme 'Belt on, phone off - make it a habit'.

A large number of motorists are still using their mobile phones while driving, despite many safety messages and penalties for drivers surrounding their use.

This goes hand-in-hand with distractions, which can be anything that draws a driver's attention off the road.

"We're trying really hard to get the message across this year to keep your eyes and mind on the road at all times" says Dianna Harrison, road safety coordinator for Taupo District Council.

"Thirty per cent of all fatal crashes involve people failing to wear a seatbelt. There's no excuse for not taking two seconds to make it click."

Look out for road safety messages this week in local newspapers, on the radio and social media, while Taupo District Council staff at our Taupo customer service centre and library are wearing road safety week T-shirts to raise awareness.

And we don't have to rely on one week of the year to educate ourselves - resources are always available on-line from brake.org.nz.