WELLINGTON, July 25 (Xinhua) -- A further 2,430 kms of New Zealand’s most dangerous state highways and local roads will be made safer as part of the government’s 1.4 billion-NZ dollar (900 million-U.S. dollar) program.

The government’s safety program is already saving lives, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said in a statement on Thursday, “The new barriers installed on State Highway 3 have been hit around 40 times, potentially preventing at least that many deaths and serious injuries.”

Over the next three years, 3,300 kms of state highways and local roads will be upgraded under the government’s Safe Network Program, Twyford said, adding, “Once fully rolled out across the country, it will help prevent 160 deaths and serious injuries each year.”

Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said, “Most roads deaths and serious injuries are preventable and too many New Zealanders have lost their lives or been seriously injured in crashes that could have been prevented by road safety upgrades.”

A balanced approach has been taken to make New Zealand roads safer, such as investing significantly more in safety improvements, increasing safe driving messages and investigating lower speed limits only on the most dangerous roads in the country, Genter said.

The government is currently seeking feedback on a wider 10-year road safety plan that includes prioritizing road policing and enforcement.