Check ‘OnTheMove’ for road conditions before heading off this Easter
Check OnTheMove' for road conditions before heading off this Easter
29 March 2013
Motorists are being urged to sign up for a new online service which will tell them about road conditions before heading off on holiday this Easter.
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has this week launched OnTheMove, a free customisable travel information service designed to provide travellers with email alerts about road and driving conditions, incidents and road works, prior to their journey on New Zealand's state highways.
NZTA Regional Traffic Operations Manager Kathryn Musgrave says the new service is all about helping people to make smarter travel choices when planning trips.
OnTheMove will be useful for road users heading away on long trips including during holidays such as Easter, as well as for commuters and commercial drivers who travel on state highways every day, says Ms Musgrave.
OnTheMove can be accessed from any PC or smart device that receives emails, but NZTA is reminding subscribers to make safety their top priority and avoid the risks of being distracted behind the wheel.
It's unsafe and illegal to check messages or data on a mobile phone or other device while driving. If you're driving alone, you need to check for alerts before your trip begins or during a rest stop on your journey. If you're driving with passengers you can ask them to check for alerts during the journey, but always remember that as the driver, for safety's sake, your focus must be on the road.
OnTheMove will send alerts about major events that may disrupt state highway traffic or require caution, based on the routes, regions and time periods users have selected. Minor incidents and general traffic congestion won't be sent out as alerts. Some weeks subscribers may not receive any alerts and others week, particularly in winter, they may receive a lot.
Drivers can sign up for their OnTheMove alerts at www.onthemove.govt.nz