WDM, NZTA mark 30 years of skid resistance testing in New Zealand

W.D.M. Limited and NZTA are marking 30 years of continuous SCRIM® pavement friction testing across New Zealand’s state highway network. The long-running program has helped identify road safety risks early, guide maintenance spending and is credited with preventing hundreds of serious crashes. Why it matters: - The SCRIM® program has helped NZTA target road maintenance before crashes occur. - NZTA estimates the skid resistance program prevented 124 fatal crashes and 558 life-changing crashes over the last 20 years. - The long-term testing data has supported evidence-based investment decisions and improved maintenance planning across the state highway network. - The program is credited with reducing wet-road crashes and improving overall network safety and efficiency. What happened: - W.D.M. Limited and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi marked 30 years of continuous SCRIM® pavement friction testing in New Zealand. - The milestone covers the 2025/26 testing season, which is the 30th consecutive season of SCRIM® operations in the country. - The testing has been carried out across New Zealand’s state highway network since the first surveys began in the mid-1990s. - WDM and NZTA said the partnership has become one of the world’s most established skid resistance management programs. The details: - WDM’s SCRIM® Continuous Pavement Friction Measurement technology monitors network friction performance. - The program identifies emerging safety risks and failures so NZTA can intervene before crashes happen. - Annual SCRIM® surveys have built a long-term dataset on road surface condition, friction performance, climate, traffic and road geometry. - WDM SCRIM® vehicles in New Zealand capture SCRIM in both wheelpaths, texture in three lines, roughness in both wheelpaths, rutting, differentially corrected GPS and right-of-way video capture. - New Zealand’s skid resistance strategy has been shared internationally through the 5 Safer Roads conferences. - WDM said studies of continuous friction measurement programs and targeted interventions have shown crash reductions of more than 30% and cost-benefit ratios above 30:1 in some applications. - The company and NZTA described the program as a global reference point for pavement friction management and proactive highway safety engineering. Between the lines: - The 30-year run suggests NZTA has treated friction data as a core safety tool, not just a technical measurement exercise. - The program’s value appears to come from turning survey data into maintenance decisions, rather than from testing alone. - New Zealand’s experience has become a case study for other road agencies weighing data-led maintenance against reactive repair. What’s next: - NZTA is expected to continue annual SCRIM® surveys as part of its skid resistance management program. - WDM and NZTA are likely to keep using the long-term dataset to guide maintenance priorities and safety interventions. - The partnership will remain part of New Zealand’s broader effort to reduce serious road crashes through proactive highway engineering. The bottom line: - Thirty years of friction testing has made skid resistance a measurable, actionable safety program on New Zealand’s roads.