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NZ Transport Agency memo to minister says braking system linked to six deaths not inherently unsafe
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The New Zealand Transport Agency has doubled down on its stance that a braking system linked to six deaths is not inherently unsafe.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop asked for a briefing from the transport agency, after a coroner's report into the death of Graeme Rabbits at an Auckland worksite in 2018 blamed a failing cardan shaft parkbrake.
Coroner Erin Woolley determined that these brakes, found in about 70,000 vehicles in New Zealand, could not be relied upon as a sole braking system, because even a well-maintained brake could fail without warning.
Despite this, the NZTA told the minister it didn't accept the coroner's views on the brakes being inherently unsafe nor did the agency accept the coroner's criticisms of its attitude.
RNZ can reveal another instance of a cardan shaft brake failing and a Che
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