Safer Journeys: New Zealand’s Road Safety

Strategy to 2020

Chris FoleyNEW ZEALAND

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Road Safety Performance

New Zealand 8.9 deaths per 100,000 population

Australia 6.9 deaths per 100,000 population

United Kingdom4.2 deaths per 100,000 population

Statistics are the same or worse on a vehicle km travelled basis

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

If New Zealand had Road Safety Performance similar to Australia or the United Kingdom:

New Zealand’s 2009 Road Toll 384

With Australia's Road Safety level 298 (-86)

With the UK’s Road Safety level 186 (-198)

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journeys’ vision

• A safe road system increasingly free of death and serious injury

• This recognises that while all road crashes can never be prevented from happening, we could ultimately stop many of them resulting in death and serious injury.

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journeys’ framework

Safe system approach to road safety– minimise the level of unsafe road user

behaviour– make the road transport system more

accommodating of human error– manage the crash forces that injure people in a

crash to a level the human body can tolerate without serious injury

– road safety is everyone's responsibility

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

What is a Safe Road System?

Safe road use – road users who are skilled and competent, alert and unimpaired. They comply with road rules, take steps to improve safety, and demand and expect safety improvements.

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

First Steps

• Alcohol and drug impaired drivers• Young drivers• Motorcyclists• Roads and roadsides

Proposed first initiatives are the ones most likely to make the greatest impact on the road crash problem

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

High concern

Medium concern

Reducing alcohol

/drug impaired driving

Safer roads and

roadsides

Safer speeds

Increasing the safety of

motorcycling

Safer walking and

cycling

Improving the safety

of heavy vehicles

Reducing the impact of fatigue

Addressing distraction

Increasing the safety of older

New Zealanders

Reducing the impact

of high risk drivers

Increasing the level of

restraint use

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journey’s priority areas

Areas of high concern

Where we will take action across the Safe System

  Safe roads and roadsides

Safer speeds

Safe vehicles Safe road use

Reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving

    √ √Increasing the safety of young drivers √ √ √ √Safer roads and roadsides

√      Safer speeds √ √ √  Increasing the safety of motorcycling √ √ √ √

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Young Drivers (15-24)

• 105 Fatalities last year

• Represent 14.5% of population, but 37% of all fatal crashes

• 60% higher than Australia (per capita basis)

• If we can match Australia, 25 lives could be saved annually

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Motorcyclists

1. Raise the driving age to 16.

2. Make the restricted licence test more difficult to encourage 120 hours of supervised driving practice.

3. Introduce a zero alcohol drink drive limit for drivers under 20.

4. Raise public awareness of young driver risk

5. Improve the road safety education available to young people and increase access to it.

6. Investigate vehicle power restrictions for young drivers.

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Motorcyclists

• The risk of a motorcyclist being killed or seriously injured in a crash is approximately 18 times higher than for a car

• Motorcyclists represent:

14% of all road deaths18% of all serious injuries

* Statistics for Australia are similar

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Motorcycling Proposed Initiative

1. Improve motorcycle rider training and licensing, including licensing moped riders

2. Introduce a power to weight restriction for novice drivers

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Alcohol and Drug Impaired Drivers

• 31% of fatal crashes

– 22 Australians die in alcohol-related road crashes per one million population

– 28 New Zealanders die in alcohol-related road crashes per one million population

– If we achieved a similar rate to Australia, this would save 25 lives annually

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Alcohol and Drug ImpairedDriver Proposed Initiatives

1. Allow Courts to impose alcohol interlocks for repeat drink- drivers and high-level first time offenders (BAC of 0.16 or higher)

2. Zero BAC limit for repeat drink-drivers

3. Conduct research on the level of risk from drivers with a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08

4. Double prison sentence for dangerous driving causing death from five years to ten years

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

What is a Safe Road System?

Safe speeds – travel speeds suit the function and level of safety of the road. People understand and comply with the speed limits and drive to conditions.

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journey’s priority areas

Areas of medium concern

Where we will take action across the Safe System

  Safe roads and roadsides

Safer speeds Safe vehicles Safe road use

Improving the safety of the light vehicle fleet √ √Safer walking and cycling √ √ √ √Improving the safety of heavy vehicles √ √ √ √Reducing the impact of fatigue √ √ √ √Addressing distraction √   √ √Reducing the impact of high risk drivers   √ √ √

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Journey’s priority areas

Areas of continued and emerging focus

Where we will take action across the Safe System

  Safe roads and roadsides

Safer speeds

Safe vehicles

Safe road use

Increasing the level of restraint use     √ √

Increasing the safety of older New Zealanders √ √ √ √

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Illegal Street Racing

Major problems in many large cities, more than a transport matter.

– New local authority bylaw making power– Mandatory 28 day vehicle impoundment– Reduced fines & increase demerit points– Introduced a new DL reinstatement fee – Introduced a new vehicle crushing law

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Roads and Roadsides

• Head on crashes account for 23% of all fatal crashes

• 90% of them could be avoided by having a median barrier

• 21% of fatal crashes occur at intersections

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Safer Roads and Roadsides Proposed Initiatives

1. Develop a classification system for the roading network (KiwiRAP)

2. Focus safety improvements on high risk rural roads and high risk urban intersections

3. Change the give way rules for turning traffic

Safer Journeys: Road Safety Strategy

Future efforts

• Development of a three-year action plan (two further three-year plans to take us to 2020)

• The actions in Safer Journeys are not a complete list of everything that will be done to improve road safety over the next ten years.

• Current initiatives that are effective in reducing road trauma and provide value for money will also continue.

• Key - flexibility for continual improvement

• More information - www.transport.govt.nz (look for ‘Safety Sam’/ ‘Hāmi

Haumaru’)