Safety drive
But will the fines work?
Drivers could face tougher penalties for fiddling with their phones and not wearing a seatbelt as the government gets serious about its zero road deaths target.
The number of deaths on New Zealand roads in 2020 was down on 2019 – 320, down 32 on the 2019 figure of 352 – but while figures were down year on year, the current number of 10 deaths for the Christmas and New Year holiday period is more than double last year’s four fatalities. The holiday period ends at 6am on Tuesday.
But one driving expert says no fine will lower bad behaviour behind the wheel and only confiscating cars and phones will have an impact.
The Ministry of Transport will review penalties as part of the Road to Zero strategy, particularly looking at penalties for distracted driving offences, and not wearing a seatbelt, the ministry’s manager of mobility and safety, Helen White, said.
It would consult the public for feedback on the most effective approach to penalties.
Drivers who don’t wear a seatbelt already risk a $150 fine, but no demerit points, and using a cellphone while driving is an $80 fine and 20 demerit points.
Road safety campaigner and editor of the car review website Dog and Lemon, Clive MatthewWilson, said fines and demerit points work as a deterrent for middle-class people with reasonable incomes but ‘‘ are largely ineffective against the yobbos, impaired drivers and reckless motorcyclists who cause most fatal accidents’’.
A 2007 Australian study suggested substantial increases in fines and disqualification would have limited potential in deterring recidivists.
Matthew-Wilson believed police should confiscate cellphones used by drivers and impound cars where the occupants were not wearing seatbelts.
‘‘That would send out a strong message that would ripple through whole communities.
‘‘The same applies to drivers using cellphones. For the first offence the driver should lose their cellphone. For the second offence the driver should lose their cellphone and their number as well. For the third offence they should lose their cellphone, their number and also lose the vehicle for a week.
‘‘The police already have the power to impound vehicles for speeding, if the driver is drunk, or where the driver doesn’t have a licence. Arguably, not wearing your seatbelt or using a cellphone is just as dangerous; therefore tough measures are needed.’’
Controlling the speed of the average driver is misguided, he said.
‘‘Rigid enforcement of speed limits tends to alienate ordinary motorists without affecting the behaviour of the tiny minority who cause most fatal crashes.’’
And they tend to ignore the speed limits anyway, he said.
The mass installation of road
side fencing and median barriers, is the way to go, according to Matthew-Wilson, who said a Monash University study showed they could reduce death or serious injury by up to 90 per cent.
The penalties review will be complemented by Ha¯paitia te Oranga Tangata: Safe and Effective Justice, a broader programme of work to reform the criminal justice system.
White said it is ‘‘ important that compliance and enforcement staff are supported in their work by fit-for-purpose legislation and that New Zealanders feel that the penalties for breaking the rules are fair.’’
While seatbelt-wearing rates have remained relatively consistent for front seat passengers – more than 96 per cent since 2010 –
more than one third of people involved in fatal crashes in 2019 were unrestrained.
‘‘Many of these crashes involved young males, undertaking in other risky driving behaviour, such as drinking and speeding,’’ White said.
‘‘In the event of a crash, wearing a seatbelt increases an occupant’s chances of survival by, on average, 60 per cent in the front seats and 44 per cent in the rear seats.’’
Data released by police showed more than 29,700 tickets worth more than $4.1m were issued from January to September 2020 across New Zealand for not wearing a restraint.
Police issued more than 29,200 cell phone notices to New Zealand drivers from January to September 2020, costing motorists more than $2.2m.