This document is designed to guide New Zealand’s efforts to improve road safety for the next 10 years. It sets out the direction and actions we will take to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads. The need for this strategy is clear. Despite substantial progress over the last 30 years, New Zealand still lags behind many other countries in road safety. Every year, hundreds are killed on our roads and nearly 2,900 people are seriously injured. Approximately 13,000 New Zealanders suffer minor injuries as a result of road crashes. We also know that the level of road death and injury suffered by our young people is especially high. These numbers reflect lives lost and ruined in what are mostly preventable crashes, but they do not show the effect of these crashes on families, the wider community and the health system. Road crashes can also have an economic impact — the annual social cost of crashes is estimated to be $3.8 billion. As road user numbers grow, our current efforts will not be enough to further reduce the level and impact of road crashes. Safer Journeys represents a new approach to this problem. Its aim is that death and injury will in the future no longer be an inevitable part of our road system. To achieve this aim, the strategy outlines a Safe System approach with actions spread across the entire road system: roads and roadsides, speeds, vehicles and road use. Some of these possible actions represent significant change — raising the driving age, lowering the drink-drive limits, introducing alcohol interlock technology and changes to our give way rules. But change is needed if we are to catch up with Australia, the United Kingdom and others that are best in the world, and benefit from a road system with fewer deaths and injuries. The Safe System approach depends on us all taking responsibility for road safety. The roads belong to all of us and, in developing Safer Journeys, views were sought from all New Zealanders. This feedback was considered alongside evidence and research in selecting the road safety actions you see here. The government will be working to improve road safety and to implement the actions in this strategy, but we will all need to play a part if we are to make our roads safer. (Author/publisher)
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