The Automobile Association has today urged New Zealand police bosses to investigate if a no police pursuit policy has reduced the road toll overseas - and if so adopt it here.
The call from AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon comes in the wake of a horrific weekend on New Zealand's roads, with eight fatalities including an innocent motorist killed after crashing with a car fleeing police.
Another chase today in Tauranga follows the deaths of three people near Nelson yesterday. (Source: Other)
Mr Noon said last year's road toll of 379 was alarming in how quickly it had escalated.
"That is a massive increase over the last four or five years," he said.
"We need to look at everything we can do to reduce that road toll, and right now part of that road toll is crashes, over 500 crashes a year from police pursuits so it's timely to look at that."
While admitting that AA members largely support a police pursuit policy, to "catch the bad guys", Mr Noon said the relative success of no police pursuit policies overseas had to be evaluated given the carnage on New Zealand roads.
"Some countries, American and a couple of states in Australia, have banned police pursuits unless there is an immediate threat to life, to the public, and we'd like to understand how well that's worked, and whether that is something that should be considered here in New Zealand," Mr Noon said.
However, while asking for an investigation on overseas road toll statistics, Mr Noon said he and the AA were very sympathetic to the incredibly difficult decision police officers faced in deciding to pursue a fleeing vehicle.
"This is not an easy issue, this is a very vexed issue, these pursuits happen incredibly quickly," Mr Noon said.
"There's very little time for decision making. It can go from the lights turning on to a crash within 20 or 30 seconds.
"So this is not an easy area at all for the police to manage these. We understand that they're doing the best that they can with the rules that they have at the moment."
Currently a New Zealand Police and IPCA review into police pursuits is underway and Police Minister Stuart Nash has asked for an update on the review.
At present, New Zealand Police use their discretion on whether to pursue a vehicle that has fled.
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