Safer Journeys action plan - safe road use
Last updated on
13/02/2012 10:54 a.m.
This page sets out the Safer Journeys actions for safe road use for 2011-2012, including increasing the safety of motorcycling and reducing the impact of alcohol/drug impaired driving.
Area of high concern
Safe road use includes three areas of high concern:
- reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving
- increasing the safety of young drivers
- increasing the safety of motorcycling
Area of medium concern
Safe road use also includes three areas of medium concern:
- reducing the impact of high risk drivers
- walking and cycling
- reducing the impact of distraction and fatigue
Responsible road use is a key component of a Safe System. Safe and responsible behaviour is crucial to bringing down the road toll in New Zealand.
Increasing the safety of motorcycling
Area of high concern
Motorcycle riding requires distinctly different vehicle control and cognitive skills to car driving. The potential outcomes of any crash, whether caused by the rider, other road users, the road environment or the vehicle itself, are more severe for motorcyclists. The risk of a motorcyclist being killed or seriously injured in a crash is about 18 times higher than for a car driver.
Over the period 2005 to 2009, motorcyclists were involved in 11 percent of fatal crashes and an average of 622 were hospitalised (over 1 day). In 2009, motorcyclists were involved in 48 deaths our roads and 602 were hospitalised (over 1 day).
Our 2020 goal
By 2020, the safety of motorcyclists will be a core part of road safety. We will know we have been successful in doing this when the numbers of motorcyclists losing their lives, or suffering serious injuries, are significantly reduced.
In 2009, there were 11 motorcycle fatalities per 1,000,000 population, we need to bring this down to at least a level similar to Victoria, Australia which is 7 fatalities per 1,000,000 population.
Focus areas
We have identified four key areas to focus on to improve motorcycle safety.
Implement regulatory changes and improve motorcycle training
New licence requirements, strengthened practical tests and motorcycle-specific training that reflect proven international best practice will be introduced.
Engage motorcyclists
ACC has introduced a motorcycle safety levy to fund motorcycle safety initiatives.
Implement safety treatments on high-risk motorcycle routes
Examine roads on high-risk or popular motorcycling routes to determine the risks specific to motorcyclists, and then implement cost-effective solutions to reduce motorcycle crashes.
Motorcycle-focused enforcement
Police will target enforcement at careless or deliberately unsafe motorcyclists because of the high crash rate.
Table 9: Actions for increasing the safety of motorcycling actions for 2011-2012
| Focus area |
Actions |
Responsibility |
Implement regulatory interventions
|
Strengthen theory, basic handling skills and restricted licence tests, including competency-based training and assessment. |
NZTA |
| Introduce a moped licence, including moped-specific theory and handling tests. |
NZTA |
| Introduce a power-to-weight restriction for novice drivers. |
NZTA |
Improve motorcycle training including mopeds
|
Improve training opportunities for already licensed motorcycle and moped riders. |
ACC/NZTA |
| Promote the use of proven safety technology and equipment by motorcyclists. |
ACC |
| Develop and deliver refresher training opportunities for riders who hold a motorcycle licence, but who have not ridden for some time. |
ACC |
| Consider incentives for motorcycle training in the risk rating and levy setting process eg lower ACC levies where appropriate training has been completed. |
ACC |
| Engage motorcyclists |
Introduce an additional charge (Motorcycle Safety Levy) as part of the annual licensing fee for motorcycles. The funds will be used for specific motorcycle safety initiatives and will be focused on education and engineering. |
ACC |
Implement safety treatments on high-risk motorcycle routes
|
Develop, implement and monitor a Safe System demonstration project that aims to improve safety for motorcyclists on a high-risk, popular motorcycling route. |
NZTA/ACC |
| Develop policies for the retrofitting of high-risk, popular motorcycling routes with features that improve safety for motorcyclists. |
NZTA |
| Identify high-risk motorcycle routes and develop treatment programmes for these routes. |
NZTA/local government/ACC |
Motorcycle-focused enforcement
|
Develop and use risk profiles to target Police enforcement at high-risk locations and at high-risk times. |
Police |
| Detect and deter motorcycle offending through directed patrols, traffic surveillance, checkpoints, driver licence checks and vehicle inspections targeting motorcyclists. |
Police |
Table: Supporting actions to increase the safety of motorcycling for 2011-2012
| Focus area |
Actions |
Responsibility |
| Promoting existing and new technologies |
Promote the introduction of motorcycling technologies such as anti-lock brakes, air bags and advanced protective clothing. |
ACC |
| Monitor international motorcycle technology development. |
ACC |
| Capability and capacity of motorcycle training sector |
Facilitate the development of improved capability and capacity within the motorcycle training sector. |
ACC/NZTA |
Next steps 2013–2015
The focus will be on re-examining the activities we have undertaken in this area. There are significant new actions to be implemented over the next 2 years and these will need to be evaluated to determine which actions are the most effective to continue with in the future.
Reducing the impact of alcohol/drug impaired driving
Area of high concern
Alcohol and drug impaired driving is one of the largest causes of serious road crashes in New Zealand. Over the period 2005 to 2009, alcohol and drugs contributed to 31 percent of fatal crashes and 20 percent of serious injury crashes. In 2009, alcohol and drugs contributed to 140 deaths and 580 serious injuries on our roads.
Since 2000, the number of alcohol and drug related deaths have increased.
Our 2020 goal
Our goal is to significantly reduce the incidence of alcohol and drug impaired driving.
We aim to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries caused by alcohol or drug impaired drivers. In 2008, New Zealand’s fatality rate for alcohol or drug impaired driving was 28 deaths per 1,000,000 total population. We aim to reduce it to 22 deaths per 1,000,000 total population.
Focus areas
The focus for the next 2 years for alcohol or drug impaired driving is on drivers with high levels of blood alcohol and repeat offenders (high risk drivers). We have identified two areas of focus.
Implement regulatory interventions
The purpose of a drink-drive limit is to specify the maximum level of road safety risk society is willing to tolerate from alcohol consumption. The proposal to lower the adult blood alcohol concentration (BAC)[1] to 0.05 is contested. To inform this debate we will collect data relating to drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08. (Refer to the page 20 for other regulatory interventions for alcohol-related high-risk drivers.)
Targeted education and enforcement
Education combined with enforcement has reduced the number of alcohol-related fatalities over the last 20 years. However, more recently, there has been an increase. There needs to be continued efforts to improve the effectiveness of enforcement combined with education to reduce alcohol and drug impaired driving. One particular focus will be assisting communities where alcohol or drug impaired driving is identified as a particular risk.
Table: Actions for reducing the impact of alcohol or drug impaired driving for 2011-2012
| Focus areas |
Actions |
Responsibility |
Implement regulatory interventions
|
Collect data on drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08, and report back to the government. |
MoT/NZTA/Police |
| Implement an alcohol interlocking programme. |
MoT/NZTA |
| Implement a zero BAC licence for a minimum of 3 years for repeat drink-drivers and drivers subject to an alcohol interlock. |
MoT/NZTA |
| Targeted education |
Develop education and enforcement programmes for use with communities at risk (at-risk regions, ethnic groups, age groups). |
NZTA/MoT/Police/
ACC/LGNZ |
| Targeted enforcement |
Targeted enforcement of alcohol and drug impairment using roadside checkpoints. |
|
Table: Supporting actions for reducing the impact of alcohol/drug impaired driving for 2011-2012
| Focus area |
Actions |
Responsibility |
Research
|
Conduct further research into the extent and scope of drug impaired driving in New Zealand to inform the development of future roadside enforcement approaches. |
MoT/NZTA |
| Conduct New Zealand specific research on how driving performance is affected as BAC levels rise using New Zealand drivers. |
NZTA |
Next steps 2013–2015
The focus will be on re-examining the activities we are undertaking around the issue of alcohol and drug impaired driving. This will be addressed by assessing the implementation of the new regulatory actions and completing the research with the aim of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our efforts.
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[1] Blood alcohol concentration is the amount of alcohol present in a 100 millilitre (mL) volume of blood. For example 50 mg is 0.05 grams, 0.05 grams of alcohol in 100 mLs is written as 0.05 percent. In other words, 50 mg is equal to 0.05 percent which is equal to 50 mg/mL). This value can also be described as BAC 0.05.