New Zealand’s new road safety strategy.

In March this year, Transport Minister Steven Joyce launched a new strategy for reducing the impact of road crashes over the next decade. Safer journeys: New Zealand’s road safety strategy 2010-2020 (available at www.transport.govt.nz/ saferjourneys/Pages/default.aspx) proposes significant changes to help improve New Zealand’s road safety. These include raising the driving age from 15 to 16, introducing a zero drink drive limit for under 20s, changing the give way rules for turning traffic and reconsidering the adult drink drive limit.
The initiatives in Safer journeys are underpinned by a Safe System approach to road safety, which focuses on actions across the entire road system: roads and roadsides, speeds, vehicles and road use. The strategy also aims to address a number of road safety priorities, such as the safety of young drivers and the impact of drugs and alcohol on road safety.
The strategy was developed by the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC). The NRSC is led by the Ministry of Transport and includes the New Zealand Police, the NZ Transport Agency, the Accident Compensation Corporation and Local Government New Zealand.
From the start, public consultation has been a key part of the strategy. We have aimed to strike a balance between feedback received, resources available to implement change, and the evidence and research. This recognises the importance of both research and public support for road safety actions.