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Road Safety Strategy 2010 Consultation Report

Introduction
Consultation objectives
The consultation process
Communications campaign
Public & national meetings
Focus groups
Submissions
Key consultation conclusions
Back to table of contents

1. Introduction

The road safety targets in the National Road Safety Plan 1995 are current to the year ending December 2001. In preparation for managing road safety performance beyond that time, the National Road Safety Committee (NRSC)¹ in 1997 requested the development and preparation of longer-term road safety targets which will be incorporated into a new Road Safety Strategy to 2010. The National Road Safety Advisory Group (NRSAG)² has been involved in the development of the proposed Strategy, and has had regular input through workshop sessions.

In addition to providing new targets for the next ten years, the proposed Road Safety Strategy 2010 is designed to provide a new strategic framework within which road safety partnerships can work towards achieving a greater level of safety on New Zealand's roads. The successes from the period of the previous Plan have been carried over into the proposed new Strategy, along with new or improved interventions. A rigorous target-setting model was developed which supported an evidence-based approach to assess a wide range of initiatives for their capacity, firstly to substantially improve safety and, secondly, to improve safety in a cost-effective manner.

The proposed Strategy views road safety issues from within a performance management framework, recognising that core interventions address the design and operation of the roading network, and the conditions of entry to and exit from that network. Adopting this approach recognises the contributions of enforcement, education and engineering measures to improving road safety. Although driver behaviour contributes to most crashes, the most effective remedy may not always be to reform the driver. It can sometimes be more effective to improve the roads or vehicles, as such improvements can reduce the number of crashes and their severity, regardless of "cause".

The NRSC has been engaged in the development of the proposed Strategy for some time:

It began consideration of a process and framework for development of a 2010 Strategy in the second half of 1997, and held a 2010 Strategy planning session in November 1997.
In 1998 the NRSC considered the work under way on the development of a framework for a robust target-setting model. At its Strategy planning session in October 1998 the NRSC endorsed the framework to be used for the target-setting model, and also agreed that the strategy process would develop the longer-term performance management framework for road safety.
In October 1999 it was presented with, and discussed, potential reductions in the road toll and injuries from a range of options analysed by the target-setting model. The NRSC endorsed the format for road safety targets in the Strategy, the framework for implementation, monitoring and review, and a proposed layout and content of the Strategy.
In December 1999 the NRSC was presented with a draft Safety Strategy 2010: a proposal for discussion, a draft cost/benefit matrix of Road Safety Strategy 2010 options, and a draft outline of the Road Safety Strategy 2010 Consultation Plan. During its deliberations, the Committee indicated its overall level of comfort with the Strategy document. The Committee approved the draft 2010 Strategy Discussion Document for further development and authorised further development of the 2010 Strategy options.
In March 2000 the NRSC approved key elements of the proposed Strategy as the basis for consultation, including: the strategic framework as depicted in the 'wiring diagram'; the goal of reaching current the world's best practice by 2010; the three options for attaining the current world's best practice; the interventions supported by education; the cost and outcome parameters of the range of interventions and options; the targets as outlined in the hierarchy of the draft Strategy; and a regular three-yearly review of the Strategy.
The NRSC endorsed the consultation objectives and the proposed Strategy and Overview documents, and authorised the finalisation of these documents, in July 2000.

The Minister of Transport released the proposed Strategy for public consultation in October 2000. Before a new goal and targets for road safety in New Zealand could be set, feedback was required from the public, both on the level of safety desired and on the desired strategic direction for attaining that level of safety. The consultation documents, developed by the National Road Safety Committee and released by the Government, presented a proposed new strategic framework for road safety and left open the target level of road safety and the matter of how we should achieve that level of safety. It was recognised that the final mix and intensity of road safety interventions should come out of the consultation process.

This report outlines the consultation which was undertaken. It summarises the responses to the key consultation questions asked, and responds to the key issues raised during the consultation process. Along with a Summary of Submissions, this report details the outcomes of the consultation and provides a foundation upon which the Government can make sound decisions on a final Road Safety Strategy 2010.

1 Membership of the NRSC then consisted of the Chief Executive Officers of the Land Transport Safety Authority, the Ministry of Transport, NZ Police, ACC, and Transit NZ. The NRSC membership now includes Local Government NZ (as of August 2000) and Transfund NZ (as at November 2000).

2 Membership of the NRSAG consists of the Land Transport Safety Authority, Transfund NZ, NZ School Trustees Association, NZ Automobile Association, Alcohol Advisory Council, Te Puni Kokiri, Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs, Local Government NZ, Transit NZ, NZ Police, ACC, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Road Safety Co-ordinators.

2. Consultation objectives

The objectives of the consultation on the proposed Strategy were to:

seek feedback and opinions on the overall goal or level of ambition for road safety for 2010, and on the options or pathways for attaining that level of safety;
identify tasks and issues to be resolved and the related implementation milestones needed in order to realise the overall goal for road safety; and
engage support for the 2010 Strategy, particularly acceptance of responsibility for its eventual outputs and outcomes.

Answers were sought from the public on the following consultation issues:

Do you support the proposed targets for 2010, or would you prefer more, or less, ambitious ones?
Which would you prefer: more roading improvements, tougher law enforcement, or a mix?
Are you prepared to pay for the additional costs entailed by your choice?
What targets do you want to see defined?
Would you be willing to help implement the proposed strategy? If so, how?
In your view, what other matters need to be resolved as part of the proposed strategy?

3. The consultation process

A consultation plan was developed to make the existence of the proposed Strategy and the consultation process as widely known as possible. As road safety is an issue that concerns everyone in New Zealand, it was intended to obtain input from as many interested individuals and groups as possible.

To achieve this, consultation documents aimed at both the general public and transport sector professionals were prepared. An extensive communications campaign was undertaken to ensure the proposed Strategy was discussed in the news media. Public meetings were held, including hui and fono, to enable interested people to come along and discuss the issues in person. Meetings were held with various interest groups and transport sector organisations. A research company was employed to run focus group sessions around the country, to ensure the opinions and views of the general public were considered. And, finally, written submissions from all sectors of society were also accepted.

Overall, the consultation process achieved wide-ranging coverage of different opinions from individuals and organisations: members of the general public; specialist interest groups (e.g. cyclists); community groups; transport sector organisations and individuals who work in the transport sector or in road safety; Maori and Pacific people; road controlling authorities; government agencies; the health sector; the motor vehicle industry; the alcohol industry; and from people of all age groups.

3.1 Timeframe

An eleven-week consultation process from 5 October to 22 December 2000 began with the national launch of the proposed Strategy by the Minister of Transport at the Beehive. A series of regional meetings, hui and fono was held in October and early November, as were national meetings with interest groups. The final deadline for submissions was 22 December 2000.

3.2 Consultation documents and resources

A range of supporting documents was produced:

a pamphlet to make people aware of the existence of the proposed Strategy and of the consultation that was taking place. This pamphlet also listed the regions and dates for the regional meetings.
Road Safety Strategy 2010 Overview contained a brief outline of the proposed Strategy and the key consultation issues.
the more detailed Road Safety Strategy 2010 document addressed every issue considered when preparing the proposed Strategy. This document was more suitable for transport professionals.
two LTSA working papers outlining the detailed analyses undertaken to prepare the proposed Strategy were available to interested parties. These were: Working Paper 6: Predicting and costing road safety outcomes and Working Paper 7: Estimated effects of interventions on road safety outcomes to 2010.

These documents were available on request and able to be downloaded from the LTSA website. Between 1 October and 31 December 2000, 516 people downloaded the Overview document. There were also 359 downloads of the main Strategy document, 176 downloads of Working Paper 6, and 168 downloads of Working Paper 7. In addition, a mailout of the overview document was sent to about 2000 people and organisations.

3.3 Communications campaign

Communications activities sought to:

raise awareness about the existence of the proposed Strategy and the reasons for its development;
make the proposed Strategy widely available and easily accessible to all interested individuals, groups and organisations;
encourage organisations, groups and individuals to participate in planned national and regional activities;
ensure the proposed Strategy was well understood, particularly by those likely to make submissions; and
encourage individuals, groups and organisations to make formal submissions by the closing date.

Communications activities included the national launch, distribution of media kits, invitations and strategy documents, placing key strategy documents on the LTSA website, and gaining maximum public relations and advertising support.

3.4 Public meetings, hui and fono

A series of public regional meetings was held in Rotorua, Hamilton, Invercargill, Dunedin, Whangarei, Auckland, Palmerston North, Napier, Gisborne, Christchurch, Greymouth, Blenheim, Nelson, Wellington and New Plymouth during October and early November. A total of 14 hui and four fono were also held to ensure focused discussions with representatives of Maori and Pacific peoples.

The purpose of these meetings was to present the proposed Strategy and allow audiences to question the research, analysis and conclusions drawn together in the document. Comments made at these meetings were noted and included in the analysis of submissions. Audiences were also encouraged to go back to the communities and organisations they represented and prepare written submissions.

3.5 Meetings with national interest groups

A series of meetings was held with key national interest groups, to present the proposed Strategy and its underpinning analysis, and to engage in constructive debate. Meetings were held with local government, cyclists, the transport sector, roading engineers, the health sector, and the justice sector.

3.6 Focus groups

A series of focus groups was held with the public to establish their opinions and views on the proposed Strategy. It was recognised that not all groups of society would be likely to attend regional meetings on the Strategy, and that those who wrote in with submissions would not necessarily represent the opinions of the general New Zealand public. It was intended that focus groups would present the proposed Strategy to a good cross-section of society to obtain their views. The focus groups were conducted by NFO CM Research Ltd, and a report was presented in December on the outcomes of this qualitative research.

3.7 Submissions

Written submissions were actively encouraged, to assist the National Road Safety Committee to determine the desires of New Zealanders with regard to the key consultation issues and the individual interventions. Submissions were invited on the proposed Strategy up to the closing date of 22 December, although many were also accepted after this date.

4. Communications campaign and media coverage

The proposed Strategy received good coverage in the media. Print media coverage of the proposed Road Safety Strategy 2010 began on 29 September 2000, with an article quoting the Minister of Transport Mark Gosche saying that the current annual road toll could be halved in the next decade.

Strategy details sent out by the Minister foreshadowed the Road Safety Strategy 2010 launch at Parliament on October 5. Details of the proposed Strategy were reported in nearly all major provincial and metropolitan dailies on October 2. The angle taken in each of these articles was the proposal within the enforcement option to lower the open-road speed limit to 90 km/h. Newspaper editors seemed to feel that the 90 km/h issue warranted an editorial and several on this subject appeared in provincial dailies and metropolitan newspapers on 3, 4 and 5 October.

Both "One Network News" and "TV3 News" aired stories on the proposed Strategy in their bulletins on the 5 October launch date, and it was discussed at length in an interview with the Minister of Transport on "Breakfast" (TV1) on 6 October.

Newspaper articles devoted a large amount of space to providing details of the proposed Strategy at this stage. Some even conducted street polls to gauge public feeling on the 90-km/h speed limit issue. On 12 October, the New Zealand Herald included an excellent feature on the contents of the proposed Strategy, providing readers with an accurate and easy-to-understand introduction to the document.

Media interest in the proposed Strategy remained strong throughout October but had waned by November. The majority of coverage occurred between 1 and 12 October, with print articles decreasing in size and prominence after this date. In total up to 14 December 2000, six articles discussed the Strategy in national print media. There were 82 items in provincial papers, and 49 in community newspapers. National radio stations aired 32 items on the proposed Strategy, and the national television channels ran four items.

A number of major daily newspapers raised the issue of the proposed Strategy in the New Year, when commenting on the record low road toll for 2000. National Radio produced a half-hour Insight documentary focusing on the proposed Strategy.

The proposed 90-km/h open road speed limit was the most discussed issue. The proposed Strategy's aim to reduce the road toll and improve safety ranked second as the most popular angle for coverage, and the consultation process itself was the third most popular angle. Other angles for stories included the costs and savings of the options, variable speed limits, the regional consultation meetings, and the three options presented in the proposed Strategy.

Despite the extensive coverage by the media on the proposed Strategy, an Automobile Association poll of 1000 randomly-selected members indicated that two-thirds of the 550 respondents were not aware that the Government had released it for consultation. The low awareness of the proposed Strategy is surprising given the amount of coverage by the media. However, many of the respondents might not have realised that the issues being discussed in the media (e.g. the 90 km/h speed limit) were being raised as part of a Strategy proposal.

5. Public meetings and national meetings with key organisations

Around 700 people attended the public regional meetings. Many were professionals working in the road safety field, or local authority councillors and, in some cases, mayors, but there was also a strong representation from interested members of the public. Members of Parliament attended the meetings in Invercargill, Napier and Hamilton.

The meetings, hui and fono were organised on behalf of the National Road Safety Committee by the LTSA Strategy Division, in conjunction with LTSA Regional Offices, with support from the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. The meetings were led primarily by the LTSA, with other NRSC partners in attendance.

The General Manager Strategy presented the proposed strategy in a keynote speech to open the New Zealand Land Transport Symposium on 'Engineering for Road Safety' in Rotorua early in October 2000. Throughout October he made further formal presentations to members of the Wellington City Council, the Labour Party Caucus and the Transfund NZ senior management team. Similar presentations took place throughout November and December with Local Government NZ, the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ), the New Zealand Local Authority Traffic Institute (TRAFINZ), the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health, and Parliament's Transport and Industrial Relations Select Committee.

6. Focus groups

The following are the key conclusions which NFO CM Research (NZ) Limited drew from the ten focus groups they conducted as consultation with 'grassroots' New Zealand:

"Grassroots New Zealand is prepared to 'buy into' the goal of halving the country's road toll by 2010. However, given that some people are 'removed' from the road toll statistic, it makes it easy to accept a goal like this. This has implications for 'selling' the Strategy's goal (including highlighting the implications for individuals and outcomes for New Zealand lives)."
"While viewing the Strategy's goal as 'worthy and commendable', Grassroots New Zealand perceives that it is too ambitious because of the constraints and uncertainties that surround it, in particular:
- It could be difficult to bring about the required changes in driver attitudes and behaviour within the timeframe (based on the drink driving experience).
- Potential lack of political will would cause limitations and uncertainties."
"Preference for the Enforcement Option (which would include priority engineering measures, e.g. blackspot treatments) is driven by:
- Perceived unsafe driver attitudes and behaviours = seen as New Zealand's core road safety problem.
- Costs associated with the engineering and mixed options (especially the former).
- Danger zones on roads (e.g. black spots and other high fatality areas) requiring engineering solutions in order to be more safe."
"To implement the Enforcement Option (with priority engineering measures):
- It will be important to carefully communicate the changes that will be introduced and the implications of these for drivers as well as the outcomes for New Zealand lives.
- The existence of some entrenched attitudes and behaviours means it will be necessary to 'hit drivers hard' and consistently in order to develop safer driving behaviour.
- The overwhelming lack of support for raising the driving age to 17 years suggests that this measure would benefit from review.
- The planned Education Programme will be important to supporting the above."
"Funding the Road Safety Strategy needs to be seen as 'fair and tolerable'. Given that people feel they are already contributing to road safety through a number of sources, they will question whether all funding options for the Strategy have been explored.
- Although the Enforcement Option costs are viewed as reasonable (comparatively speaking), they could still cause financial hardship for some people, e.g. those in the lower socio-economic group.
- In principle a 'user pays' option is palatable.
- Use of multiple sources of funding would 'spread' the burden of payment within and between individuals."

It was also noted that accountability in the new Strategy would be very important. "New Zealanders have a lack of confidence that their money will be used in the intended way. Not only do they need to feel confident that their money will be appropriately channelled but they expect to see results for their contribution."

NFO CM Research stated that there was a preference for the "enforcement option" with "priority engineering measures". This broadly indicates a preference for a mixed option, with a lean towards enforcement.

7. Submissions

A total of 853 written submissions were received from a wide range of individuals and organisations. Many were from private individuals, but submissions were also received from many district and regional councils, road safety consultants, traffic engineers, roading contractors, road transport operators, students, transport research organisations, psychologists, the motor vehicle industry, motorcyclists, cyclist groups, pedestrians, motoring clubs, the health sector, older people, government agencies, driving schools, community boards and groups, child safety groups, the alcohol industry, and many others.

7.1 Responses to key consultation questions

Answers were sought to six key consultation questions. The "Summary of Submissions" provides a full outline of the responses to these questions and of the key concerns of respondents. The responses given to the key consultation questions are summarised below:

Do you support the proposed targets for 2010, or would you prefer more, or less, ambitious ones?

A clear message from the submissions was the desire for a higher level of road safety. Just over half of all respondents who commented on this agreed with the goal of achieving a level of safety in 2010 equivalent to where the safest countries in the world are now. There was also support for more ambitious goals such as matching the world's best countries, or trying to achieve a zero road toll.
Which would you prefer: more roading improvements, tougher law enforcement, or a mix?

There was broad support for a mixed strategy combining enforcement, engineering and education elements to achieve the proposed goal. It was considered by many to be a good compromise between high costs and restrictive interventions, and between short-term and long-term benefits. Members of the public appeared concerned at the costs associated with engineering initiatives, and many considered more rigorous enforcement, and measures to improve unsafe driver attitudes and behaviours, to be preferable and less costly. Many wanted education as a larger part of the mix than they perceived as apparent in the strategy documents, or considered education to be an option in its own right that should have been more central to the proposals.
Are you prepared to pay for the additional costs entailed by your choice?

Many people said that they were not prepared to pay anything over and above the current taxes on motorists, and that these taxes should be used on the roads rather than added to the Crown Account. Some were prepared to pay the additional costs of the strategy, or to split payment between road users and the government. Some sought assurances that any additional monies raised for the proposed Strategy would be used wholly for safety.
What targets do you want to see defined?

Most respondents supported the proposed targets. Regional targets were seen as important for encouraging ownership at a regional and community level. Targets for road-user groups such as pedestrians and cyclists were seen as important to ensure the safety needs of these groups are taken more fully into account. It was also important that access be considered in setting targets for vulnerable road users so that an increase in safety was not achieved by discouraging people from walking or cycling.

Discussion with Maori and Pacific peoples generated a wide range of responses on the value of specific safety targets for these communities. There was strong support in some quarters for using targets to make the system more accountable. However, a large number of Maori and Pacific peoples opposed the setting of targets because they were concerned about being 'targeted'.
Would you be willing to help implement the proposed Strategy? If so, how?

Many respondents indicated a willingness to help in the road safety area in general, particularly at the community programme and personal level. Territorial and local authorities indicated that they would continue to promote road safety through roading, community programmes and education, but were concerned about having to pay more out of their rates.
In your view, what other matters need to be resolved as part of the proposed Strategy?
Most of the issues raised in submissions in response to this question are dealt with in section 9. Other significant matters raised during consultation included:
- The role of education in the strategy many comments, although education was interpreted in a variety of ways. Driver training was considered important, and many people commented on the need for community and school-based road safety education, advertising, and education that focused on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. There was clearly a perception that education had been downplayed in the strategy documents.
- Another concern raised was the need for the Strategy to support the promotion of other modes of transport (other than the private motor vehicle) for sustainability and health reasons.
- A major concern for road controlling authorities was the lack of sufficient funding available, which was restricting the amount of projects they could undertake.
- Some road controlling authorities said that the benefit/cost ratio approach to funding road projects needed to take into account preventive measures instead of the current reactive approach which relied on the number of fatalities on a piece of road.
- Some respondents also mentioned the need for a set of national standards for the road network.

7.2 Responses to proposed interventions

Many respondents chose to comment on individual interventions that were proposed in the Strategy under the three options of "Enforcement", "Mixed" or "Engineering", or on existing interventions that were noted in the proposed Strategy as likely to impact on the level of safety to be achieved in 2010.

Open Road Speed Management

The intervention attracting most comment was the proposal to lower the open road speed limit to 90 km/h. Most of the many responses to this proposal opposed it. Many supported a wider range of speed limits, and some supported 90 km/h temporary speed limits (until the road segment was brought up to a 100-km/h speed limit standard). Most respondents who opposed the lower speed limit considered that slower speeds would result in more driver impatience, boredom, frustration and risk taking, causing more tailgating and head-on crashes. Many felt that frustration and impatience were already a serious issue, and that enforcement should target slow drivers who did not pull over or who drove in the outside lane. Some considered that slow drivers were more dangerous than fast drivers. There was also a strong feeling expressed that more rigorous enforcement of the current speed limits was needed, rather than lowering the limit.

Opinion was divided as to whether demerit points for speed camera offences should be introduced, although there were more submissions in favour of this than against. Respondents' views on demerit points for speed camera offences ranged from those concerned about driver identification from speed camera photographs to those who believed that, to be fair, demerit points should accrue for all speeders irrespective of the method of detection.

There was strong support for enhanced surveillance, with a majority favouring a more visible police presence.
Expanded construction

The majority of submissions on this intervention were in favour. There was recognition from many respondents that engineering improvements would go a long way towards improving road safety. Many people supported the construction of more passing lanes, median barriers and even a four-lane highway for the full length of State Highway 1. More hard shoulders were also supported in many submissions. Safety on local roads was also an issue identified as needing to be addressed.

There was a widely-held view that New Zealand roads are substandard and poorly maintained. Blackspots were identified as an area of concern by many, including road controlling authorities which also believed changes were required to the current benefit/cost (BC) ratio system to make funds available for strategic routes. It was noted that the BC ratio system does not take account of preventive safety measures, but is instead reactive and based on the number of fatalities on a given piece of road.

A large number of comments related to the need for expanded construction to better take into account the needs of vulnerable road users, as well as concerns about the specific types of engineering measures mentioned in the consultation documents for these road users (e.g. roundabouts were seen as very unfriendly to cyclists).

Several submissions expressed concern that better roads would result in higher speeds, thereby making more enforcement necessary to achieve the safety benefits.
Urban speed management

The majority of submissions commenting on this issue were in favour of urban speed management measures and agreed with strict enforcement of the 50 km/h speed limit.
Reduced Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Limit

Of the submissions commenting on this intervention, approximately two-thirds supported a reduced BAC and one-third opposed it. Of those who supported the reduced BAC limit, approximately one-third favoured going further and imposing a zero BAC limit on all drivers. There was a general feeling that reduced BAC limits would provide greater safety improvements or support a community rejection of drink driving. Among those who opposed the reduced BAC limit there was a feeling that there was a need to better enforce the current BAC limits before introducing new ones, and that drivers with a BAC of between 50 and 80 mg/100 ml were not the cause of road trauma.

Approximately two-thirds of the submissions commenting on the proposed zero BAC limit for young drivers supported the proposal.
Raising the minimum driving age

The majority of submissions opposed the proposal to raise the minimum driving age. In general, those who did not want the driving age raised considered that the risks related to inexperience rather than to age. Many were concerned about the lack of public transport alternatives for young people, particularly in rural areas, and that raising the driving age would negatively impact on rural people and their families. It was also considered by some that recent graduated driver licensing system changes would have the same effect.
Increased compulsory breath testing (CBT)

Most submissions commenting on CBT supported intensifying the current CBT programme.
Alcohol interlocks

More than half the submissions commenting on this intervention supported the use of alcohol interlocks. Others believed that further evaluation of the effectiveness of such interlocks was required.
Extending the legal hours of darkness

Most respondents commenting on this proposal actually supported the use of headlights at all times of the day (as opposed to the proposed extra hour at each end of the day). Many mentioned European examples of successes from the compulsory use of daytime running lights.
Increased restraint wearing enforcement

Most of the submissions mentioning restraint wearing supported the option of intensifying police enforcement to eliminate regional differences in wearing rates and to bring all regions up to the standard of the best.
Performance assessment

There were very few submissions commenting on performance assessment, and these mainly related to safety management systems. Most referred to safety management systems positively and highlighted the importance of identification and consideration of safety issues by road controlling authorities.
Vehicle impoundment

Most respondents supported the recently-introduced impoundment regime, noting that it appeared to be working well. Some wanted the regime extended to apply to other serious offences such as excessive speeding.
Licence suspension

There was general support for this recently-introduced measure, and some considered that it could be extended to cover a wider range of offences.
Trauma management

Only a few submissions commented on improved trauma management. Most supported it and any initiatives to improve its effectiveness, particularly in remote areas.
Light vehicle standards

Of the submissions commenting on light vehicle standards, many suggested areas where they considered standards needed improvement. The most frequently mentioned of these were vehicle age, used imports, speed limiters, bumpers and bullbars, Warrant of Fitness (WOF) standards, seatbelts, and emissions. Some submissions advocated banning cars over a certain age and wanted stricter limits on used imports. Several submissions stated that WOF tests were not rigorous enough or that there was insufficient enforcement of warrants and licensing.
Heavy vehicle standards

Comments on heavy vehicles covered a wide range of issues, and many considered that heavy vehicles needed more regulation of some sort. Many mentioned that trucks exceeded their speed limits, created obstacles for overtaking by not keeping left, and also tailgated other vehicles.
Existing construction and blackspots

Many submissions suggested specific improvements that could be made to existing construction practices, such as signage, roadworks areas, road markings, roundabouts, road surfaces, cambers, medians and shoulders. Several submissions raised issues about cyclist and pedestrian-friendly construction. Of those who mentioned blackspots, there was general support for blackspot treatments.
Stricter licensing conditions

There was considerable support for the recently-introduced changes to the Graduated Driver Licensing System, and some indicated that its effects should be evaluated before any further changes were considered.

Overall, the 90 km/h open road speed limit was the proposed intervention that generated the most interest and concern. The recognition by some that improving roads could improve road safety meant that the roading-related interventions also generated a lot of comment. The alcohol-related interventions were of interest to many, as was the proposal to raise the minimum driving age. Many people felt that education and training initiatives should be proposed as interventions in their own right.

8. Key consultation conclusions and implications for the final strategy

The consultation on the proposed Strategy, including the regional and national meetings, focus groups and submissions, provided valuable information on the desired future direction for road safety in New Zealand. Much of what has been learned has implications for the final Strategy, and many ideas and suggestions can be usefully incorporated into the final Strategy and/or future work plans.

8.1 Overall goal

When asked about support for the proposed safety goal for 2010, there was a clear message from the consultation process that the public wanted a higher level of safety on New Zealand roads. There was a strong endorsement of achieving a level of safety in 2010 equivalent to where the safest countries in the world are now. When this goal was not supported, it was generally because it was not considered ambitious enough. An overarching vision, not just a goal, was considered necessary by some. Others perceived the goal to have been set on the basis of comparison with other countries, rather than analytically derived through New Zealand-based initiatives.