Skip to main content

New Zealand road risk for motorists

New crash data from New Zealand points to a worrying trend for car occupants. In around 30% of fatal crashes, lack of seatbelt use is a primary factor in occupant deaths. An analysis of 200 fatal crashes in which occupants were not using seatbelts shows that 75% of those killed were male. Meanwhile 84% of the incidents occurred on rural roads. Many of those killed were young drivers while alcohol also played a role in many of the incidents. Research suggests that around 90% of vehicle occupants in New
April 27, 2018 Read time: 1 min
New crash data from New Zealand points to a worrying trend for car occupants. In around 30% of fatal crashes, lack of seatbelt use is a primary factor in occupant deaths. An analysis of 200 fatal crashes in which occupants were not using seatbelts shows that 75% of those killed were male. Meanwhile 84% of the incidents occurred on rural roads. Many of those killed were young drivers while alcohol also played a role in many of the incidents. Research suggests that around 90% of vehicle occupants in New Zealand use seatbelts.

Related Content

  • Driving drowsy test being developed
    February 23, 2017
    Researchers in Australia are develop a roadside test that can determine whether drivers are too drowsy to be behind the wheel. The system uses special glasses that track eye movements and measure the length of blinks, which are factors thought to identify whether a person is fatigued. The system is being developed as research suggests up to 20% of Australians have fallen asleep while at the wheel and 33% drive while tired once a month or more. Driving while tired is thought to be as much a risk as being
  • New safety analysis tool developed
    December 15, 2015
    A new tool for investigating road safety factors has been developed in the UK by Road Safety Analysis (RSA). The MAST Online system allows users to identify factors causing road crashes in specific areas as well as looking into the local impact of these crashes. This tool is already being used in the UK by local authorities to develop plans that can help optimise road safety. The latest version of the MAST system provides immediate access to data on eight key issues, including injuries to vulnerable road
  • Vietnam’s high crash rate
    April 19, 2016
    Vietnam’s road crash rate is still too high and causing concern. Recent measures such as requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets have helped reduce the country’s death toll on its roads, but the casualty statistics are still a major issue. The official data from the National Traffic Safety Committee in Vietnam shows that there were around 5,000 crashes recorded in the first quarter of 2016. These crashes injured over 4,500 and killed close to 2,200 people. The police also fined the drivers of over 909,0
  • South Korea’s crash problem from ageing drivers
    November 23, 2017
    South Korea is seeing an increase in the number of crashes involving elderly drivers. In the 10 years from 2006 to 2016, the number of drivers aged 70 or over being involved in crashes has increased by a factor of just over four. There were around 7,000 road crashes involving drivers aged 70 or more in 2006, compared with 29,000 in 2016.