Areas of concern and the Safe System

Analysis of New Zealand’s current road crash problem, and how it is likely to change over 2010–2020, shows there are 13 areas where current performance needs to be strengthened. Of the 13 areas, five are of high concern and six are of medium concern. There are also two areas where attention needs to remain focused. These areas are shown in the table below.

All of these priority areas require attention over the period 2010–2020. However, high concern priorities are areas:

• where we need to make the most improvement in road safety and where a significant change in policy direction or effort is required to work towards a Safe System
• that could make the largest contribution to reducing the costs imposed on the economy by road deaths and injuries (eg reducing the days of productivity lost to the workforce, reducing ACC costs or reducing health sector costs).

Safer Journeys identifies actions that address these priority areas through a Safe System approach.

Safer Journeys' areas of concern and the Safe System

Areas of concern we will address	Where we will take action across the Safe System
	Safe roads and roadsides	Safe speeds	Safe vehicles	Safe road use
Areas of high concern
Reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving			X	X
Increasing the safety of young drivers	X	X	X	X
Safe roads and roadsides	X
Safe speeds	X	X	X
Increasing the safety of motorcycling	X	X	X	X
Areas of medium concern
Improving the safety of the light vehicle fleet			X	X
Safe walking and cycling	X	X	X	X
Improving the safety of heavy vehicles	X	X	X	X
Reducing the impact of fatigue	X	X	X	X
Addressing distraction	X		X	X
Reducing the impact of high risk drivers		X	X	X
Areas of continued and emerging focus
Increasing the level of restraint use			X	X
Increasing the safety of older New Zealanders	X	X	X	X

For some priorities (eg motorcycling), complementary action will be taken across all four areas of the safe system. For others (eg reducing the impact of drink driving, or safer roads), more effort would be focused on one or two of the four safe system areas.