Safe vehicles - FAQs

IMPROVING THE SAFETY TO THE LIGHT VEHICLE FLEET

Why don’t we focus on drivers?

As mentioned under the safe roads section the driver is only one element of the Safe System and no matter how safe we make the system, people will always make mistakes. Safer vehicles reduce the consequences of these mistakes by either preventing crashes from occurring (eg Electronic Stability Control) or minimising the severity of crashes that do occur (eg Side Curtain Airbags).

Vehicles are getting safer anyway, why don’t you just leave the market to its own devices?

Although light vehicles are getting safer, the New Zealand light vehicle fleet is old (with the average age of our vehicles over 12 years) compared to other OECD countries* and this means we are missing out on significant road safety gains. Previous surveys have shown that although most people say vehicle safety is important, when it comes to the actual purchasing decisions many people prioritise other factors such as price, looks and reliability. Part of the reason may also be that many people are unaware of what safety features are available, how much they cost and how effective they can be. We could improve public awareness by providing better information for consumers on vehicle safety features.

*Average age of vehicles in other countries: Australia (2008) – 9.7, Canada (2008) 8.4, UK (2008) 7.

Action – Consider mandating electronic stability control (ESC) and side curtain airbags (SCA) on all light vehicles entering the fleet

Why consider mandating ESC when most new vehicles have this as standard and our trading partners are mandating it anyway?

ESC is a crash prevention feature that can reduce loss of control crashes by 20 to 30 percent. For certain types of vehicle, such as SUVs, the figure is more like a 60 percent reduction. These figures represent a significant saving.

Overseas experience shows that consumer awareness programmes balanced with regulation are the best ways to increase the uptake of safer vehicles. Although it is predicted almost all NZ new vehicles will have ESC in the next few years, about 50 percent of the vehicles entering the country each year are used imports that are over 8 years old. The vast majority of used imports entering the country do not have ESC (estimated to be less than 5 percent). Vehicle standards are important as they set a minimum level of safety that must be met, they also ensure that any new cars in the future that have had safety features removed to make them cheaper cannot enter the market.

Action – promote vehicle safety systems to consumers

Safety is not a priority and most people can’t afford a new vehicle with the latest safety features. Why is there no incentive suggested to purchase a safer vehicle?

The major incentive for purchasing a safer vehicle is to protect you and your loved ones from death or serious injury. It is still possible for most people to upgrade to a safer vehicle at little extra cost. The Right Car website is a key tool for informing consumers of the safety of both new and used imports.

Recent research has shown that the safety of young drivers can be improved significantly if this road user group upgraded their vehicles to the safest in their price range (ie at little or no extra cost).

IMPROVING THE SAFETY OF HEAVY VEHICLES

Are buses included in this category?

Yes, because while buses are safe, one bus crash can have devastating consequences due to the number of potential passengers. It is therefore important that bus safety is also included.

Will having heavier vehicles on our roads create a greater safety risk?

A change has been proposed recently to allow some heavy vehicles to carry greater loads. These vehicles will still need to meet current safety standards and they will only be allowed on routes if it can be demonstrated they do not pose an increased risk. Any driver training or education requirements as a result of changes in the handling of the heavier vehicles will be worked through between the transport industry and the NZTA.

Why even bother focusing on heavy vehicles when the number of crashes involving these vehicles per kilometre travelled is decreasing and they are usually not at fault?

Crashes involving heavy vehicles are often more serious. Other road users generally come off second best in a crash with a heavy vehicle. Heavy vehicle crashes also create significant delays on our roads and these delays create additional costs as the movement of people and freight is disrupted.

In addition, although the crash rate is decreasing, heavy vehicle traffic is increasing, which increases the exposure rate, and is masking some of the gains we have made.

Heavy vehicle speeds are increasing, why are there no specific speed related initiatives targeting this road user group?

The initiatives suggested in the safer roads and safer speeds sections would also help reduce the impact of heavy vehicles crashes.

Action – Consider mandating electronic stability control (ESC) on all heavy vehicles entering the fleet

Will this increase costs for industry?

 The government is committed to reducing compliance costs for business across the transport sector. Any costs to industry from this proposal will need to be weighed up against the benefits. Mandating ESC would be done in line with other overseas jurisdictions so there are vehicles available for import to ensure costs to business would be minimised.

Action – publish operator safety ratings

What is the operator safety rating system?

The Operator Safety Rating System (OSRS) will give heavy vehicle operators safety ratings based on their safety performance. These ratings will be available to potential customers and others with an interest in the industry, such as finance and insurance firms.

Why punish businesses for the actions of individual employees?

Ensuring businesses take responsibility for their employees is an important aspect of creating a workplace safety culture. The operator safety ratings will benefit heavy vehicle operators with good safety records as customers are more likely to choose their services. There will then be flow on benefits to their employees. Poorer performing operators will have to improve safety in order to attract customers. The ratings will also allow Police to focus on the most risky operators.  

IMPROVING THE SAFETY OF MOTORCYCLES AND MOPEDS

Isn’t the problem mainly other road users crashing into motorcyclists?

Crash statistics show that in around 60 percent of all recorded crashes the motorcyclist had some level of responsibility for the crash. Motorcyclists are more likely to be at fault in rural areas and other motorists are more likely to be at fault in urban areas.

Motorcycling is a high risk mode of transport, and motorcyclists are well aware of these risks. Why should we do anything when this risk will not be reduced significantly?

Although motorcycling is riskier than other modes of travel on a kilometres travelled basis there are initiatives that can reduce this level of risk. The high cost of motorcycle crashes means even slight reductions in the number of motorcycle related deaths and injuries can represent significant cost savings.

In addition, we do not want to actively deter people from riding a motorcycle if that is their preferred or most affordable mode of choice. It may be risky but there are many things we can do to make it as safe as possible.

How are you going to address the issue of people returning to riding who have not ridden for many years?

Some of the more general actions will impact on this group as motorcyclists, for example implementing targeted treatments on popular motorcycle routes. However, the proposals around training and licensing mainly focus on new motorcyclists as they face the greatest crash risk, a growing portion of whom are in the over 30 age group. The first Safer Journeys action plan will consider how the safety of returning riders can be improved.

What are the safety issues with mopeds?

There has been an increase in the use of mopeds which has led to more crashes involving these vehicles. Currently, moped riders are only required to hold a car driver licence and so many novice riders do not have the specific skills needed for these vehicles.

Action – introduce a power-to-weight restriction for novice riders

Isn’t there already a restriction for novice riders?

Currently holders of learner and restricted motorcycle licences are restricted to riding motorcycles of 250cc and less. However, recent advances in technology are limiting the effectiveness of the restriction. A number of powerful high-performance 250cc motorcycles capable of high speeds and rapid acceleration are available on the market. These motorcycles are not suitable for novice riders due to their power, riding position and handling. Advances in motorcycle power are likely to continue.

IMPROVING THE LEVEL OF RESTRAINT USE

Why don’t we distribute child restraints to low income families?

Initiatives are already in place that seek to ensure low income families have access to child restraints. For example, Plunket’s car seat rental schemes offer a variety of affordable infant and child restraints available for short- and long-term hire.

Action – Bring our child restraint laws in line with international best practice. This initiative includes a focus on the correct use and fitting of child restraints.

Why do we need to do this if our wearing rates are already high?

Although we have high wearing rates, New Zealand is falling behind in international best practice in child restraint use by primary school-aged children. We have one of the highest child road fatality rates in the OECD and part of this is due to the lack, or incorrect use, of appropriate restraints.

Action - Improve our data on the correct use of child restraints

Why do we need better data on the correct use of child restraints?

Our current data on child restraints is based on wearing rates rather than correct use. We need more data on the issue of incorrect use of child restraints to help to monitor the effectiveness of programmes for improving child restraint use.