New Zealand’s 16 per cent rise in deaths is the highest in an international survey

New Zealand has recorded the sharpest increase in annual road deaths of a group of 28 countries in an international study. The number of fatalities increased 16.1 per cent last year compared to 2013 — the worst among eight countries whose record has deteriorated significantly in the International Road Traffic and Accident Database. Provisional figures indicate 295 people died on the roads last year, compared with 254 in 2013.

The figure reverses an improvement by around the same level the year before and New Zealand is around the middle of the pack in terms of road deaths per 100,000 head of population.

Road death comparison figures were revealed at the OECD’s International Transport Forum in Leipzig, eastern Germany, last night. Sweden has the lowest rate of fatalities at 2.7 per 100,000, New Zealand has 5.7 and Argentina is the worst of those in the study — 12.9 road deaths per 100,000 of population in 2013.

New Zealand took over the presidency of the ITF today and Transport Minister Simon Bridges said the rise in deaths was disappointing.

“What we know is those numbers aren’t just numbers, they represent lives,” he said.

The 2014 data showed 15 countries in the study had a fall in road deaths, five remained around the same and eight had an increase. The steep rise in New Zealand followed a 17 per cent fall in fatalities between 2013 and the following year. And New Zealand is heading for a higher toll this year with the number of deaths standing at 134, compared with 123 at the same time in 2014 and 100 in 2013. An ITF spokesman said New Zealand’s relatively small size made percentage movements more dramatic.

“Even big percentage swings often reflect a small absolute number of people — while even small percentage changes for big countries often involve a much larger absolute number of people,” he said.

Mr Bridges said that over the 2000s, there had been a 45 per cent decline in fatalities compared to the rise in population. He said he and associate minister Craig Foss had made reducing the road toll one of the three main transport priorities. The driving age had been increased, tests made harder, drink-drive limits lowered and the rules changed around children's car seats.

“We’ve got to keep pressing on this otherwise you can go backwards,’’ he

Hnzherald.co.nz Read the full report here: tinyurl.com/ nzroadsafetyreport said. “At the end of this year we will come out with a refreshed Safer Journeys document that will outline next steps.”

Mr Bridges said the age of the fleet (around 13 years) was a factor in the toll.

Road deaths in Australia declined from 1187 to 1156. Of the countries studied, the US has the highest number with more than 32,000 deaths (2013) and a fatality rate of 10.9 per 100,000 of population.

The international trend shows road deaths falling by 42 per cent among countries surveyed since 2000 by IRTAD, the permanent working group on road safety at the ITF. The economic downturn that started in 2008 also had a substantial impact in the reduction of fatalities.

The ITF acts as a think-tank for transport policy and organises the annual summit.