7. PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (National—Maungakiekie) Link to this
to the Minister of Transport
What actions has the Government taken to help lower the road toll among young drivers?
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Transport) Link to this
On Saturday night at midnight the Government introduced a zero blood-alcohol limit for young drivers under 20. Improving the safety of young drivers is a key priority for the Government because they are disproportionately represented in fatal and serious crash statistics. The Government took this action because 15 to 19-year-olds make up around 6 percent of all licensed drivers, but in 2010 they were involved in around 17 percent—
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It is a slightly unusual thing to do, but I think the question was about what the Government did. I think the Minister started off his reply saying what Parliament has done—
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
If the bill was passed, it was not by the Government, it was by Parliament, and he is not responsible for that.
Mr SPEAKERIf the bill was the result of Government policy and it was a Government bill, I do not think it is unreasonable to say the Government has done it. I have never heard that objection raised previously.
In pointing out that the Government introduced the zero blood-alcohol limit for young drivers under 20, I am saying that improving the safety of young drivers is a very big priority for this Government. I notice it was not a priority for the previous Government, because it never did a single thing over 9 years, so Parliament did not get the opportunity to make any changes over that period. The Government took this action because 15 to 19-year-olds make up 6 percent of licensed drivers, but in 2010 they were involved in around 17 percent of all serious injury crashes. With a lowered limit, the message to teen drivers from this Government is simple: if they plan on drinking, they should not plan on driving.
Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga Link to this
What else has the Government done to assist in lowering the youth road toll?
The Government on 1 August arranged for the minimum driving age to increase from 15 to 16. We have done this because age matters in relation to driving. Drivers who are 16 are more mature and have better judgment on the road. That is reflected in the statistics, which show that a 15-year-old on a restricted licence has a significantly higher accident rate than a 16-year-old in the same circumstances. In addition, this Government is making the restricted licence test much harder, to encourage more supervised practice. Although none of the individual measures the Government is taking is a silver bullet on its own, together they will have a significant impact over time. Again, I would contrast this Government’s approach to road safety with that of the previous Government.