What you said

More than 1,500 submissions were received on the Safer Journeys discussion document (about 1,400 were from the general public and 120 were from organisations). In addition, more than 1,200 members of the general public and almost 20 key stakeholders ranked the 62 initiatives outlined in the discussion document. This is a much higher number of submissions than was received on the Road Safety to 2010 strategy (about 800).

The level of public engagement shows that New Zealanders are concerned about the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. Many submitters quoted from personal experience, like losing a family member in a road crash, or being involved in a dangerous situation.

Some of the most controversial initiatives received strong support. These included the initiatives to lower the legal blood alcohol limits for driving, raise the driving age and to change the give way rule. A few initiatives, such as the introduction of compulsory third party vehicle insurance, received high public support but are not strongly supported by policy and research.

In general, submitters placed more emphasis on initiatives aimed at road users than on roading, vehicle, or speed initiatives. This may indicate that submitters do not understand the safe system approach and are much more focussed on the driver, rather than the other three elements of the safe system.

• Read the summary of submissions
• Read our response
• Read the Safer Journeys discussion document