Safer Journeys strategy - FAQs

What is the Safer Journeys Strategy?

The Safer Journeys strategy is a guiding document for transport decision makers and those with an interest in road safety. It sets out the government’s vision for road safety in New Zealand and priority areas for focus. The strategy lists some of the actions we will work towards to improve road safety over the next decade. These actions are flexible, as we will need to monitor progress and stay aware of emerging issues to ensure our road safety effort continues to be effective for New Zealand.

The strategy is available at www.saferjourneys.govt.nz

What will Safer Journeys do?

The actions in Safer Journeys sets the government’s direction in improving road safety over the next 10 years. These actions will help to lower the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.

The strategy will be followed by action plans which will provide further detail and timings for the actions we plan to take, and will address any issues that emerge over the life of the strategy.
 

Will all the actions be implemented?

We will be working to progress all actions in the strategy. However, further research will be needed to ensure that they can be implemented. It is important to remember that many actions will still need to go through the process of further consultation and/or the parliamentary/legislative process before they can be introduced. Actions that require funding changes will need to meet the funding requirements of the National Land Transport Programme.

When will these changes be made?

The Minister of Transport plans to put a package before Cabinet in March focusing on the safety of young drivers. Another package will be taken to Cabinet in April which is aimed at reducing the impact of alcohol on road safety. 

Once they gain Cabinet approval, some of these initiatives, such as raising the driving age, could be implemented over the next 12 months.

What is the process for putting these actions in place?

Action plans will be developed over the life of the Safer Journeys strategy. These will set out the actions that will be taken as well as the timing and detail for implementing them. Action plans will also identify any emerging issues in road safety.

In March and April, the Minister of Transport will be taking packages of first initiatives to Cabinet in order to tackle high priority road safety issues. These initiatives will be aimed at improving young driver safety and reducing the impact of alcohol – both areas where an improvement is urgently needed.

It is important to note that some actions will require further investigation to ensure that they can be implemented effectively. In addition, some need to go through the parliamentary process before they can be introduced. Actions that require funding changes will also need to meet the funding requirements of the National Land Transport Programme.

What is the process for developing the first action plan?

The Minister of Transport will be taking packages of first initiatives to Cabinet in March and April aimed at improving young driver safety and reducing the impact of alcohol – both areas where an improvement is urgently needed.

These first initiatives will be central to the first Safer Journeys action plan. This action plan will detail the timing and process for implementing these first initiatives and other steps we will be taking to improve road safety.
 

What effect will Safer Journeys have on the road toll?

We anticipate that the actions in Safer Journeys will help our progress in reducing the road toll and reducing the level of serious injuries. Detail on expected reductions for each initiative is included in the strategy.

When will we expect to see results, such as a drop in the number of road deaths and injuries, from the strategy?

Results are expected progressively after the actions have been implemented. For regulatory change this will take one to two years. For other, non-regulatory changes, results could occur much sooner. Changes to the safety of vehicles and roads are more long term (eg it can take 5-10 years to make a significant change to the vehicle fleet) but these are long lasting and sustainable changes.

How much will it cost to make the changes set out in Safer Journeys? Will this mean funding will be diverted from other areas?

The costs and funding proposals for regulatory initiatives will be set out in Regulatory Impact Statements that will be developed over the next few months. Funding for non-regulatory changes will come from the National Land Transport Fund and the budgets of the Road Policing Programme, the NZ Transport Agency, ACC and Local Government New Zealand. In each case agencies will need to achieve value for money. There is no intention for a change in funding levels at this point, but agencies may need to reallocate resources so they can meet Safer Journeys priorities.

Why do we need a new road safety strategy?

The present strategy ends in 2010 and we haven’t made as much progress as we’d hoped. A change in our approach to road safety is required to reduce the burden of road crashes on New Zealand.

Over time we have made some major gains in road safety but since 2002 progress has slowed. The number of road deaths continues to fluctuate. Serious injuries had been decreasing until 2008. In that year more than 2,800 people were seriously injured. In addition, each year approximately 13,000 people suffer minor injuries as a result of road crashes. This has an impact on families and the community as well as the people involved. These injuries put pressure on the health system and have a negative impact on the economy. The social cost of road crashes in New Zealand is estimated to be $3.8 billion dollars per year. This situation is unlikely to change if we continue to rely solely on existing road safety initiatives.

What does Safer Journeys mean for government agencies such as the Police and the NZ Transport Agency? Will it affect their work programmes and funding?

The main government road safety partners (the Ministry of Transport, the NZ Transport Agency, Police and ACC) will be reviewing their work programmes to ensure they align with Safer Journeys. There is no intention for a change in funding levels at this point, but agencies may need to reallocate resources so they can meet Safer Journeys priorities.

How does the strategy affect the National Land Transport Programme?

The National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) already supports a range of activities that improve road safety.

Some of the NLTP activity classes are being reviewed, and where necessary there will be changes to ensure that they support the implementation of Safer Journeys.

The total NLTP funding for 2009/12 has largely been set. However, Safer Journeys will feed into the development of the next Government Policy Statement on Land Transport Funding and NLTP to ensure that the strategy and the actions are properly resourced.

How were the actions selected?

We have selected the actions which the evidence tells us will yield the biggest and most cost-effective gains to road safety. We have also carefully considered public feedback. The actions will be much more effective if they have the full support of road users.
 

Why aren’t all actions from the discussion document in the strategy?

The Safer Journeys discussion document outlined more than 60 initiatives, explaining that the government did not intend to implement all of them. This is partly due to resources, and the fact that not all would have the same level of effectiveness. The purpose of considering all of the proposed initiatives was to enable public discussion about the actions that could have an impact in helping to improve road safety. From those 60 proposed actions we have looked to public feedback, evidence and research to ensure we have identified a mix of initiatives that will make our roads safer and, ultimately, bring down the road toll.

Why is the strategy divided into four categories?

The actions in the strategy are divided into four categories as part of the Safe System approach:

• safe roads and roadsides
• safe speeds
• safe vehicles
• safe road users

This ensures that the strategy will work to improve all aspects of the road transport system. In the past, our approach to road safety has tended to focus on improving the road user.

What is meant by the Safe System approach?

It is an injury prevention approach which recognises that people make mistakes. It focuses on improving all the parts of the road system that impact on safety (the road, the vehicle, travel speed and the road user). It takes an approach that people should ultimately not be killed or seriously injured for making mistakes, by designing the road system so it is forgiving of human error and accommodating of human injury tolerance.

The strategy has four categories, but they are overlapping and our overall focus is on the improving the effectiveness of the system as a whole.
This approach recognises that improving road safety is everybody’s responsibility. It requires road users, road authorities, planners, policy makers, enforcers and vehicle manufacturers and importers to all work together.

There are several themes that will guide the introduction of the Safe System. The first is ‘helping people to get it right and avoid crashes’. This means that skilled and alert drivers should be able to get where they are going without mishap every time. The second theme is ‘providing protection to people when things go wrong’. This recognises human error - we all make mistakes, and so we need to reduce the consequences of a crash when they do happen. The third theme is ‘enforcing the limits of the safe system.’ No amount of design or driving skill can cope with random, dangerous drivers and limits need to be imposed on factors like speed, vehicle standards and alcohol.

 
Why does the strategy aim to 2020 rather than, say, 2015?

Road safety strategies are typically ten years to allow time to make regulatory change and influence the vehicle fleet and roading infrastructure. Both the vehicle fleet and roading infrastructure have a significant influence on road safety but require a long time to make substantial change.

How were the priority areas selected?

The high priority areas are those where the greatest improvements could be made over the period 2010-2020. They are also areas where the government believes a significant change in direction is required to unlock more of the potential benefits. In addition, they are the areas which currently account for the majority of road trauma.

Medium priorities are areas that need to be addressed but relative to the high priorities require less change in policy to improve safety.

Other areas are those where progress has been made but there is a need to ensure those gains are not lost, and issues that are predicted to become more important in the future.

What could we expect if we don’t change our approach to road safety?
If we continue with our current approach, and rely on our existing set of road safety initiatives, it is estimated that in 2020 around 400 people will lose their lives and over 3,000 people will be seriously injured. This is around the same level of serious road trauma as now and means the gains we are getting from our road safety efforts are being continuously offset by increases in road use that come with population and economic growth.

How do the actions in Safer Journeys compare to what is being done in other countries?

Many of the actions in Safer Journeys are already in place or are being considered in other countries. A report comparing some of the actions proposed in the Safer Journeys discussion document with those implemented or considered in Australia shows that in all but one state the driving age is 16. A number of states also have implemented or are implementing between 100 - 120 hours of driving practice to advance to the next licence stage. Fines and demerit points for licence breaches and speed camera offences are also in place in several states.

A blood alcohol limit of 50 mg per 100mls blood (BAC 0.05) is in place in most other OECD countries including Australia. The report comparing Safer Journeys discussion document initiatives with those implemented or considered in Australia is available at www.saferjourneys.govt.nz

 

How does Safer Journeys differ from the Road Safety to 2010 strategy?

There are three key differences:

• Safer Journeys has a long term vision for road safety. Road Safety to 2010 did not have a vision, instead it relied on targets for reducing deaths and serious injuries.
• Safer Journeys takes a Safe System approach to improving road safety, by moving beyond seeing road safety as a matter of ‘fixing the driver or user’ and instead focusing on improving all the parts of the road transport system that impact on safety (ie the road, the vehicle, the travel speed and the road user) to reduce crashes and manage forces to a survivable level.
• Safer Journeys sets stronger priorities for where the road safety effort should be focused. It identifies 13 priority areas, five of which are of highest concern. The current strategy has 19 priorities, eight of which are high priority.

Were the public consulted in developing the strategy?

Yes, consultation on a Safer Journeys discussion document was held from 18 August to 2 October 2009. More than 1,500 submissions were received. The discussion document and a summary of submissions is available on www.saferjourneys.govt.nz.

How important was feedback in shaping the final strategy?

Feedback was carefully considered in addition to evidence and research in identifying the actions in the strategy. In addition, a number of changes were made to the Safer Journeys proposals to reflect public opinion.

High risk drivers (repeat offenders, disqualified, unlicensed, high end offenders and illegal street racers) were presented as an area of continued focus in the discussion document. However, public concern about high risk drivers came through strongly in the consultation feedback. For this reason high risk drivers are now an area of medium concern in Safer Journeys.

Not all of the issues that received strong public support during consultation are backed by evidence. Compulsory third party vehicle insurance was one initiative that received a lot of support, but current research suggests the rate of vehicle insurance among New Zealanders is already very high and so it would be unlikely to significantly improve road safety. In addition, countries which have compulsory insurance do not have our ACC-based no-fault accident compensation. We will be doing further research on this issue.

What did you do to raise awareness about consultation?

Consultation was promoted in a number of ways, including: a national and local advertising campaign in both print and online newspapers; distribution of flyers and links on government websites. A discussion forum was available on the Ministry of Transport website so people could discuss road safety ideas prior to submitting.

In addition, the Ministry of Transport worked with the Ministry of Youth Development to ensure engagement with young people. As a result, a youth version of the Safer Journeys discussion document was developed and focus groups were held with a variety of young people.

Staff from the Ministry of Transport, the NZTA and the Police also participated in a range of discussions throughout the country including regional land transport committees and road safety co-ordination meetings.

More information on steps taken to raise awareness during the consultation is available in the summary of submissions at: www.saferjourneys.govt.nz

Where can I find more information on road safety issues?

The Safer Journeys discussion document available at www.saferjourneys.govt.nz also provides information on road safety issues.

The Ministry of Transport produces fact sheets on road safety issues such as alcohol, speed and fatigue. These are available on www.transport.govt.nz/research/CrashFacts/

If I want more information on Safer Journeys who can I contact?

Email saferjourneys@transport.govt.nz