People living near a frequent road crash site on State Highway 2 between Paerata Ridge and Appleton Road are pleading with drivers to report any incidents on the road.

An accident recently, where a car knocked down the wire rope roadside barrier, was the 11th that Appleton Road resident Maree Scammell is aware of happening outside her home in the past 12 months.

She is one of a group of residents who are such regular first responders to accidents that have had to equip themselves with a grab bag of safety gear for the purpose.

On April 7, residents attended a two-vehicle crash on April 7, in which eight people were injured, with one having to be helicoptered to Waikato Hospital.

Scammell said one resident was almost hit by two cars driving through the crash scene while trying to help the injured people before emergency services arrived.

They have since invested in warning lights, torches, hi-vis gear, a fire extinguisher, emergency blankets and other safety and first aid equipment to help them deal with the almost monthly events.

Another bad crash in October had been the catalyst for the residents to start campaigning for safety improvements. Six people were injured in that accident, including a five-year-old child.

The group have been working with New Zealand Transport Agency – Waka Kotahi, to have safety improvements made to the corner.

They have identified around nine improvements that could be made to make it safer for vehicles.

Scammell said NZTA had agreed to address some of these when their contractor has availability.

These include a recurring pothole, a drain that spills onto the road in wet weather, an overhanging palm tree that drops fronds, no yellow no-passing lines. The agency was also looking into a different road surface that would give vehicles more traction.

Scammell said that while some of the accidents could be attributed to “idiot drivers”, some could not.

“Some of the accidents have happened to responsible drivers. It only takes a moment of distraction.

“You hit a pothole and cross the road or skid on a slippery palm frond and hit water. It can easily happen.”

Scammell said since a presentation at a Mayoral Forum by Eastern Bay of Plenty Road Safety Group member Gavin Dennis on behalf of residents, NZTA staff had travelled to Waiotahe twice to meet with residents.

The problem was that NZTA had little crash data indicating a high crash rate on that particular corner.

“If they don’t know there is a problem, they can’t help. These guys are making an effort, but the road users need to make an effort too,” Scammell said.

She is urging anyone involved in, or witnessing an accident, to report it to New Zealand Police, even if they do so anonymously.

“There needs to be a record of accidents in the area for NZTA to be able to recognise that there is a problem.

“We know it is a bad corner and are campaigning really hard to have road safety improvements made here, but without the incidents being reported, we don’t have as much of an impact to make this section safer for us all to drive on.”

They have also spoken to a school bus company, who has welcomed their suggestion that the bus let students off where they will not be wandering across the road.

They would also like to have the speed limit reduced on the corner and have an electronic ‘slow down’ sign place on the site. However, speed reductions require a lengthy legislative process so this has become a long-term goal.

Ōpōtiki Mayor David Moore has long been advocating with NZTA for safety improvements on roads in the district, including State Highway 2 between Wainui and Ōpōtiki.

“This is not the role of the council or the mayor, but it’s something you have to get involved or nothing gets done. We have to go in to bat for the residents to get what they deserve,” he said.

“Because of Maree’s hard work, there has been some issues identified by Waka Kotahi.”

He agreed that the number of crashes were not being reflected in what NZTA had on record.

That particular corner has been getting more than its fair share of accidents. It wasn’t quite matching up. The accident reports weren’t filtering through to Waka Kotahi.

“We’ve been asking people to make sure that they report it if there is an accident.

“The more the better.”