7. DARIEN FENTON (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Transport
What action, if any, has the Government taken to improve road safety?
Hon STEVEN JOYCE (Minister of Transport) Link to this
I thank the member very much for that question. There are almost too many to list. We took immediate action when coming into office to ban handheld cellphone use in cars, we passed new legislation to crack down on illegal street racing, we passed New Zealand’s first drug-driving laws, we raised the driving age from 15 to 16, we introduced a zero blood-alcohol limit for young drivers and another one for repeat drink-drivers, we doubled the penalties for dangerous and drunken driving causing death, and we introduced alcohol interlocks, amongst other actions. Although there is always more to do to keep New Zealanders safe on the road, I am pleased with progress so far, in terms of the road toll. We will continue to make progress with the Government’s agenda on this matter.
Who was right: the Minister of Transport and the Minister of Education, both of whom told media that seatbelts on school buses are not compulsory, or the Prime Minister, who said that it is already a legal responsibility for seatbelts to be fitted on all school buses?
This may be weird for the member, but, in fact, all are correct. Where seatbelts are fitted, it is a requirement that they be worn, but there is no requirement at this stage that seatbelts be fitted in buses. The reality is that no Government has yet decided to make that call. The reason is that, on the whole, notwithstanding the very sad accident in the Bay of Plenty this week, buses have proven to be very safe on the way to school. In fact, thankfully, the last school bus fatality for an occupant of a school bus—be it a driver or passenger—was 13 years ago.
What has he done to improve road rage and anger management, which, left unchecked, can cause harm to other road users?
Well, I just think the member might want to be careful heading there. We are certainly working in a number of areas, including on cycle rage, road rage, and in a range of areas. But I just recommend that all drivers on the road be courteous and be focused on their driving and on acting responsibly while they are doing so.
Does driving around in a red Audi station wagon splashed with National Party colours constitute a road safety hazard; if so, what is he doing about it?
I think the member needs to consider whether she is in glass houses and stones territory. We could use words like “speeding”, “South Canterbury”, “cycle rage”, and some other things that come to mind, which I will not mention. I am sure that it is not very helpful to start down that track.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Is it the Government’s intention to allow a change of the law so that a plea in mitigation of bad driving can be made by people upset by their low rankings?
Mr SPEAKER