You were caught up in traffic on your way to mahi and are now running late for your 9am hui.

You race into the carpark, scan what’s available and decide to nab the space that’s normally reserved for the disabled.

But in your rush to get to where you’re meant to be, you could be seriously endangering the lives of your work colleagues and others. 

It’s true that many of us could probably walk faster that the 5kmh speed limit that is signposted in carparks throughout Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.

But there are very good reasons for this snail-like speed restriction.

If you’re travelling at just 20kmh and have to brake suddenly your total stopping distance is 10 metres.

At 30kmh this stopping distance becomes 17 metres. And at a speed of 40kmh, it’s 26 metres. 

The calculations, provided by the NCI crash analysis and insurance investigation services website, assume you’re driving on dry bitumen and have a reaction time of 1.5 seconds.

“Now think about that if that was one of our tamariki from our Puna Whakatupu, Kohanga or Kura, who ran in front of a vehicle travelling at that speed,” says Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Manager Property Vernon May.

“It’s no different for an adult who is hit by a vehicle travelling at 30kmh, they’re not going to come out of it well at all.”

Vernon says all drivers in TWoA carparks need to obey the speed limit and plan accordingly so they’re not rushing to their destination.