First actions
Last updated on
27/01/2011 11:02 a.m.
The first actions will start from 2010 and will focus on introducing a package of initiatives that will have the greatest impact on the road crash problem. This package will address four areas of high concern – increasing the safety of young drivers, reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving, safer roads and roadsides and increasing the safety of motorcycling. It will also focus on the new medium area of concern - high risk drivers - through the young drivers and alcohol/drug impaired driving actions.
The table below shows the first actions for formal Cabinet consideration.
| Priority Area |
Actions for formal Cabinet consideration |
| Increasing the safety of young drivers |
Raise the driving age to 16
Make the restricted licence test more difficult to encourage 120 hours of supervised driving practice
Introduce a zero drink-drive limit for drivers under 20
Raise public awareness of young driver crash risk
Improve the road safety education available to young people and increase access to it
Investigate vehicle power restrictions for young drivers
|
| Reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving |
Address repeat offending and high level offending through:
• compulsory alcohol interlocks
• a zero drink-drive limit for offenders
Either lower the adult drink drive limit to BAC 0.05 and introduce infringement penalties for offences between 0.05 and 0.08
Or, conduct research on the level of risk posed by drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08
Review the traffic offences and penalties for causing death and injury
|
| Safe roads and roadsides |
Develop a classification system for the roading network
Focus safety improvement programmes on high risk rural roads and high risk urban intersections
Change the give way rules for turning traffic
|
| Increasing the safety of motorcycling |
Improve motorcycle rider training and licensing including for mopeds
Introduce a power-to-weight restriction for novice riders
|
Further actions
We could take a number of further actions beyond those in the table above. These are summarised in the table below.
The first action plan is likely to advance the first steps outlined above. It could also contain other actions, including some of the actions in the table below.
Further possible actions
| Priority Area |
Possible actions |
| Increasing the safety of young drivers |
Further evaluation of extending the learner licence period from six to twelve months
Quickly adopt innovative practices and new technologies
Increase access to quality and relevant road safety education for young people
Further evaluation of compulsory third party vehicle insurance
|
| Reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving |
Support the future introduction of random roadside drug testing with research |
| Safe roads and roadsides |
Implement targeted programmes of treatments for popular motorcycle routes
Implement a series of demonstration projects on urban mixed-use arterials
Better integrate road safety into land-use planning
|
| Safe speeds |
Increase the use of cameras for routine speed control (speed and red light) to allow Police to focus on higher risk drivers
Rebalance penalties for speed with higher demerits and lower fines and investigate adding demerits and reducing fines for speed cameras
Investigate the use of point-to-point speed cameras
Create more speed zones on high risk rural roads to help make roads more self-explaining, and to establish the criteria for what roads with different speed limits should look like (eg 80 km/h, 90 km/h, 100 km/h)
Increase the adoption of lower speed limits in urban areas
Develop a GPS-based speed management system across the network, and develop trials and initial applications for ISA and other emerging Intelligent Transport Systems
Improve data on speed-related crashes
|
| Increasing the safety of motorcycling |
Improve the safety of riders who have returned to motorcycling after a long absence and whose skills are likely to have deteriorated |
| Reducing the impact of high risk drivers |
Enforce and evaluate the effectiveness of the illegal street racing legislation
Introduce driver licence assistance courses for unlicensed drivers
Employ new technologies to restrict high risk drivers
Focus Police on repeat offenders and high level offenders
|
| Improving the safety of the light vehicle fleet |
Consider mandating electronic stability control (ESC) and side curtain airbags (SCA) for all vehicles entering the fleet
Promote vehicle safety systems to consumers with a focus on emerging advanced safety technologies
Monitor any safety issues with electric vehicles
|
| Safe walking and cycling |
Review the effectiveness of give way rule changes for pedestrian safety
Review the effectiveness of education initiatives for people who walk and cycle
Increase coverage of temporary lower speed limits around schools
|
| Improving the safety of heavy vehicles |
Consider mandating ESC for all heavy vehicles entering the fleet
Publish heavy vehicle operator safety ratings
|
| Reducing the impact of distraction and fatigue |
Educate users about distraction and how it can be managed
Educate users about fatigue
Improve the crash information on distraction and fatigue
|
| Increasing the level of restraint use |
Bring our child restraints laws in line with international best practice
Focus on increasing the correct use and fitting of child restraints
Improve our data on the correct use of child restraints
|
| Increasing the safety of older New Zealanders |
Investigate what New Zealand can learn from the approaches taken in Australia
Monitor any emerging safety issues with mobility devices
|
Download the full Safer Journeys strategy here (PDF v7.0, 2,332kb)