Road safety in New Zealand
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In 2024, the provisional number of road deaths in New Zealand for the year stands at 289.[1]
The New Zealand Government publishes Road Safety Objectives, which outlines a plan for tackling road safety issues.[2]
New Zealand ended 2024 with its lowest per capita road death rate in over 100 years, according to provisional data.[3]
Recent road deaths statistics
New Zealand reports a daily, monthly, quarterly and annual nationwide road death statistics,[4] plus special period figures for a number of holiday periods:[5]
- Christmas – New Year : between 4pm on 24 December (22 or 23 December if 24 December falls on a weekend) and 6am on 3 January (4 or 5 January if 1 and/or 2 January fall on a weekend or 2 January falls on a Friday).
- Easter — from 4pm on the day before Good Friday and 6am the following Tuesday.
- Queen's Birthday — from 4pm on the Friday before the first Monday in June to 6am the following Tuesday.
- Labour Day Weekend — from 4pm on the Friday before the last Monday in October to 6am the following Tuesday.
The road deaths statistics include deaths which occur within 30 days of a road accident as a result of injuries received in the accident.[6] Deaths of pedestrians and cyclists are included, but deaths from vehicular accidents not on legal roads (e.g. on farms) are excluded.[citation needed]
The New Zealand road deaths statistics have exhibited a downward trend since the late 1980s through to 2010, which was attributed to a number of factors:
- A reduction in drink driving, due to public education and strict policing.
- Improvements in vehicle safety.
- An increase in the wearing of seat belts due to public education
- Hazard mitigation works on dangerous stretches of road.
- Reduction of speed limits in some accident blackspots and areas frequented by vulnerable road users.[citation needed]
Road deaths statistics are available from as far back as 1921, when records began. A peak was reached with 843 deaths in 1973. Here are some figures from the last few years (dashes indicate figures not published or unavailable).[7][8][9]
| Year | Road deaths | Fatal crashes | No. of injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 308 | - | 12,122 |
| 2013 | 253 | - | 11,781 |
| 2014 | 293 | - | 11,219 |
| 2015 | 317 | - | 12,270 |
| 2016 | 327 | 285 | 12,456 |
| 2017 | 378 | 344 | 14,039 |
| 2018 | 378 | 14,696 | |
| 2019 | 350 | 14,742 | |
| 2020 | 318 | 292 | |
| 2021 | 318 | 285 | |
| 2022 | 372 | 335 | |
| 2023 | 343 | 306 |
Deaths per capita
Road deaths and injuries per capita since 2000.[7][9]
| Year | Population (000) | Vehicles (000) | No. of fatalities | Per 100,000 population | Per 10,000 vehicles | No. of injuries | Per 100,000 population | Per 10,000 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3830.8 | 2601.7 | 462 | 12.1 | 1.8 | 10962 | 286 | 42.1 |
| 2001 | 3850.1 | 2633.2 | 455 | 11.8 | 1.7 | 12368 | 321 | 47.0 |
| 2002 | 3939.1 | 2709.5 | 405 | 10.3 | 1.5 | 13918 | 353 | 51.4 |
| 2003 | 4009.2 | 2801.0 | 461 | 11.5 | 1.6 | 14372 | 359 | 51.3 |
| 2004 | 4060.9 | 2920.7 | 435 | 10.7 | 1.5 | 13890 | 342 | 47.6 |
| 2005 | 4098.3 | 3030.4 | 405 | 9.9 | 1.3 | 14451 | 353 | 47.7 |
| 2006 | 4139.5 | 3124.3 | 393 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 15174 | 367 | 48.6 |
| 2007 | 4228.3 | 3189.1 | 421 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 16013 | 379 | 50.2 |
| 2008 | 4268.6 | 3247.8 | 366 | 8.6 | 1.1 | 15174 | 356 | 46.7 |
| 2009 | 4315.8 | 3220.3 | 384 | 8.9 | 1.2 | 14541 | 337 | 45.2 |
| 2010 | 4367.8 | 3230.6 | 375 | 8.6 | 1.2 | 14031 | 321 | 43.4 |
| 2011 | 4405.3 | 3233.6 | 284 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 12574 | 285 | 38.9 |
| 2012 | 4433.0 | 3250.1 | 308 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 12122 | 273 | 37.3 |
| 2013 | 4471.1 | 3304.7 | 253 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 11781 | 264 | 35.6 |
| 2014 | 4509.9 | 3398.1 | 293 | 6.5 | 0.9 | 11219 | 249 | 33.0 |
| 2015 | 4596.7 | 3514.8 | 319 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 12270 | 267 | 34.9 |
| 2016 | 4693.0 | 3656.3 | 327 | 7.0 | 0.9 | 12456 | 265 | 34.1 |
| 2017 | 4,765 | 3,827 | 378 | 7.9 | 1 | 14,039 | 299 | 36.7 |
| 2018 | 4,841 | 3,975 | 378 | 7.8 | 1 | 14,696 | 304 | 37 |
| 2019 | 4,920 | 4,076 | 352 | 7.2 | 0.9 | 14,742 | 300 | 36.2 |
By types of road user
A breakdown of the types of road users involved in the road death deaths statistics since 2010.[7][10]
| Year | Drivers | Passengers | Motor Cyclists | Cyclists | Pedestrians | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest: | 307(1987) | 250 (1973) | 146(1988) | 41 (1957) | 157 (1973) | - | - |
| Lowest: | 49 (1952) | 49 (2013) | 28 (2003) | 5(2016) | 25 (2015/2016) | ||
| 2010 | 180 | 98 | 50 | 10 | 36 | 2 | 375 |
| 2011 | 150 | 61 | 33 | 9 | 31 | 0 | 284 |
| 2012 | 135 | 82 | 50 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 308 |
| 2013 | 125 | 49 | 39 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 253 |
| 2014 | 127 | 70 | 43 | 10 | 43 | 0 | 293 |
| 2015 | 157 | 75 | 54 | 6 | 25 | 2 | 319 |
| 2016 | 163 | 78 | 52 | 5 | 25 | 4 | 327 |
| 2017 | 161 | 66 | 34 | 16 | 32 | 309 | |
| 2018 | 191 | 92 | 45 | 6 | 40 | 4 | 378 |
| 2019 | 173 | 79 | 51 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 348 |
| 2020 | 158 | 64 | 53 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 318 |
| 2021 | 170 | 72 | 43 | 7 | 25 | 1 | 318 |
| 2022 | 202 | 64 | 50 | 19 | 36 | 1 | 372 |
| 2023 | 184 | 72 | 53 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 343 |
By age
The following table gives the number of road deaths by age group from 2010. The total killed includes unknown aged fatalities.[7]
| Year | 0–14 years | 15–24 years | 25–39 years | 40–59 years | 60+ years | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18 | 113 | 76 | 83 | 85 | 375 |
| 2011 | 11 | 82 | 46 | 79 | 65 | 284 |
| 2012 | 14 | 62 | 68 | 78 | 84 | 308 |
| 2013 | 6 | 64 | 41 | 76 | 64 | 253 |
| 2014 | 13 | 61 | 66 | 69 | 81 | 293 |
| 2015 | 8 | 84 | 73 | 79 | 74 | 319 |
| 2016 | 17 | 82 | 64 | 93 | 71 | 327 |
| 2017 | 12 | 66 | 79 | 75 | 76 | 309 |
| 2018 | 18 | 69 | 67 | 65 | 84 | 303 |
| 2019 | 23 | 40 | 54 | 87 | 68 | 272 |
| 2020 | 10 | 64 | 73 | 83 | 88 | 318 |
| 2021 | 14 | 62 | 92 | 80 | 70 | 318 |
| 2022 | 9 | 73 | 92 | 86 | 101 | 372 |
| 2023 | 8 | 76 | 99 | 70 | 90 | 343 |
By region
Local Body boundary changes mean that records have been kept from 1980 onwards. In November 2010, the Auckland Super City was established. The figures have been altered for Auckland and other regions to allow for this development.[7]
| REGION | Lowest Total | Highest Total | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northland | 7 (2011) | 54 (1989) | 18 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 23 |
| Auckland | 36 (2014) | 197 (1987) | 41 | 48 | 36 | 52 | 46 | 54 | 46 | 34 | 25 |
| Waikato | 33 (2013) | 141 (1991) | 65 | 33 | 48 | 69 | 79 | 54 | 58 | 65 | 50 |
| Bay of Plenty | 18 (2013) | 70 (1987) | 23 | 18 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 19 | 29 | 32 | 24 |
| Gisborne / Hawke's Bay | 10 (2013) | 64 (1986) | 31 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 26 |
| Taranaki | 7 (2013) | 45 (1991) | 17 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
| Manawatu/Wanganui | 15 (2013) | 81 (1987) | 29 | 15 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 28 | 36 | 16 | 26 |
| Wellington | 10 (2015) | 71 (1987) | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| Nelson / Marlborough | 5 (2015) | 27 (1984) | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 11 |
| West Coast | 2 (2020) | 18 (2001) | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Canterbury | 32 (2009) | 96 (1989) | 33 | 49 | 38 | 47 | 34 | 45 | 38 | 35 | 23 |
| Otago | 11 (2009) | 43 (1988) | 17 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 18 |
| Southland | 2 (2013) | 25 (1984) | 7 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
Trucks
Around 20% of deaths involve trucks,[9] though trucks form only about 3% of traffic on the roads.[11] A speed study of 188 trucks found 86% took corners faster than the recommended speed and, of truck crashes on the Kaikōura coast, 73% had rolled on a corners with an advisory speed sign.[12]
Tourist road deaths
Overseas licence holders are involved in just over 6 percent of fatal and injury crashes.[13] In 2016 overseas drivers (those with an overseas drivers licence) were involved in 24 fatal traffic crashes, 114 serious injury crashes and 506 minor injury crashes. In comparison, in total in New Zealand in 2016, there were 286 fatal crashes, 2,099 serious injury crashes and 7,583 minor injury crashes.[14] Over the five years from 2012 to 2016, 6.2 percent of fatal and injury crashes involved an overseas driver. Over the same period, 4.1 percent of all drivers involved in crashes were overseas drivers. In 2019 6 fatal crashes involved overseas drivers, killing 17 people.[9]
Use of the term 'road toll'
'Road toll' is a legacy term used in New Zealand for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents. While the term is still sometime used, the New Zealand Ministry of Transport now uses the term "road deaths".[4] The problem with talking about 'road toll' is that "it implies that road trauma is an acceptable cost of having roads."[15] Journalists[16][17] and media reporting guidelines suggest not using the term.[18]