THIS SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED OVER A 12-MONTH PERIOD DURING 1976/77 TO GATHER INFORMATION ON: (A) DRIVING AND RIDING PATTERNS BY AGE, SEX, EXPERIENCE, ROAD AND VEHICLE TYPE; (B) EXPOSURE-ADJUSTED ACCIDENT RATES BY USING THE DATA FROM (A) IN ASSOCIATION WITH REPORTED ACCIDENTS INVOLVING PERSONAL INJURY. OVER 6000 PEOPLE WERE INTERVIEWED IN A FACE-TO-FACE SITUATION AND ASKED A WIDE RANGE OF QUESTIONS INCLUDING DETAILS OF THEIR LAST THREE DAYS DRIVING/RIDING. IT WAS FOUND THAT TWO-THIRDS OF ALL DRIVERS WERE MALE. THE 15-19 AGE GROUP ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT 14% OF THE OVER-14 POPULATION, 8% OF TOTAL ANNUAL MILEAGE AND 27% OF ALL DRIVERS INVOLVED IN INJURY ACCIDENTS. THE ACCIDENT RATE REACHES A PEAK AT 16, REDUCES DRAMATICALLY THROUGH MIDDLE AGE AND RISES AGAIN WITH ADVANCING AGE. THE SURVEY DID NOT PRODUCE EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THERE WOULD BE ANY SAFETY BENEFIT IN RAISING NEW ZEALAND'S RELATIVELY LOW MINIMUM DRIVING AGE OF 15. IN FACT ONE ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT LIFETIME ACCIDENTS (DEFINED AS 35 YR) OF THOSE WHO BEGAN THEIR DRIVING CAREER AT 15 WERE FEWER THAN THOSE WHO STARTED AT HIGHER AGES.(Author/publisher).
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