Last year ended with December recording the highest number of monthly road incidents on Rarotonga, including a fatal in Aitutaki, for 2023, and cops say they are ‘under-resourced and under-staffed’ in being able to tackle the figures.

The 31 crashes, which included one fatality in Aitutaki, was the highest monthly figure in five years, police reported.

From the details he provided, Police spokesman Trevor Pitt said: “Once again, the primary cause of crashes is carelessness and the slack attitude of drivers, who have little respect for the risk environment. This is what needs to change,” Pitt said.

Cook Islands News asked Pitt what work Police were doing to assist in curbing the statistics.

“Unless drivers voluntarily change, it’s all on the shoulders of police and a tougher enforcement of the law. Unfortunately, we are under-resourced, and under-staffed, which makes strategic tasking critical,” he said.   

“We do receive calls to report dangerous driving, and stunt driving by youths, which is good, but generally, penalties are ineffectual, particularly in the deterrence of drunk driving, which is the cause of 99 per cent of the road deaths.

“We will continue to deal with tragedy as long as the drinking and driving culture remains ingrained in our community.”

In terms of crash statistics, “and as projected earlier, the annual total for 2023 exceeded 2022,” Pitt said.

The year finished with 239 incidents compared to 218 in 2022.

“The poor result however, is well short of the 279 recorded in 2018. The 2023 statistics are preliminary and include those of a minor nature,” Pitt said.  

The previous monthly high of 31 crashes was recorded November 2018, also with 31.

Pitt provided fatalities for the six years to 2023.  There were five deaths last year, one in 2022, five in 2021, five in 2020, eight in 2019 and six in 2018.