AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The Automobile Association is calling for bigger fines and harsher penalties for drivers who break the law, in an effort to deter bad behaviour.
The AA said an overhaul was needed of fines and penalties for driving offences, many of which had remained unchanged since 1999.
Road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said it wanted fines effectively doubled across the board to make up for inflation since then, and automatically adjusted for inflation from now on.
"We need to bring these penalties back up so they work to make drivers think twice about taking risks on the road or breaking the rules because right now they're not doing that," he said.
"There should be a focus on types of offences that show up most frequently in crashes, so drunk and drugged driving, people not wearing seatbelts, speed, distractions including cellphone use. We think the government should look at those particular offences and say we might need to actually increase those ones even more than the doubling for inflation."
In 1999, the median weekly income before tax was $520. That had increased 158 percent to $1343 as of 2024 according to Stats NZ, the AA said.
"Getting stung $30 for a low-level speeding infringement in 1999 was a significant chunk out of your paycheck - but the deterrent value has eroded when you consider the growth in wages," Thomsen said.
Thomsen said some offences also carried sanctions which appeared to be inconsistent with the potential harm they could cause.
"An unregistered vehicle attracts a $200 fine and demerit points yet other offences with vastly different safety implications are less severe - failing to stop at a red light and not wearing a seatbelt each incurs a $150 fine and no demerits," he said.
A recent survey of AA members found most thought fines were not effective. Less than half of the respondents thought current fines discouraged the most common driving offences like speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, using a cell phone or drunk and drugged driving.
"Most similar countries have tougher driving penalties than New Zealand and lower crash rates. Effective fines and penalties aren't the whole solution, but they are an important part of it," Thomsen said.
"There's never going to be a great time that people are going to want to hear about fines or penalties increasing, but we are paying as country right now quite a lot. We are paying through our really high crash rate we have. We are paying for the people that get hurt which has a major impact on our health system."
What the AA wants reviewed
- Increase fines to reflect inflation rates since they were last reviewed
- Have higher fines and penalties for higher-risk offences
- Review penalties so higher-risk offences that do not currently incur demerit point will attract demerits
- Traffic offences incur a multiplier to demerit points during holiday periods
- Alternative penalties alongside traditional penalties
- Introduce a "good behaviour" bond
- Increased penalties for repeat offences be investigated
- First offence drink drivers are eligible for an alcohol interlock
- Expanding Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
