Media Release

3 March 2010

Support for Government’s 2010 - 2020 Road Safety Strategy

The Motor Industry Association offered its support for the overall direction of the Government’s announced Safer Journeys – New Zealand’s Road Safety Strategy 2010 -2020 in particular that the strategy acknowledges the safety of motorcyclists as a key priority area and that action is to be taken on improving rider training and licensing; and that they will be introducing a power to weight restriction for novice riders.

In the other areas of interest to the Association, Perry Kerr Chief Executive Officer, said that “the Government would have to take a more pro-active stance if it wants to reduce the average of the light vehicle fleet which last year stood at 12.94 years (this having crept up from 9.93 years in 1992).”

On the proposal to mandate electronic stability control in light vehicles, Mr Kerr, said “this would be a potential problem for the used vehicle industry in that the current level of electronic stability control fitment on used vehicles was very low.” He continued “in a recent survey undertaken by ACC of used Japanese vehicles crossing Auckland’s wharf, only 4% had electronic stability control fitted. This compared to an estimated 70 to 75% of all New Zealand new vehicles that have this feature as a standard fitment.”

On heavy vehicles and the proposal again for mandatory fitment of electronic stability control, Mr Kerr said that “the MIA would work with officials but stressed that this sector of the industry needed long lead times (at least three years from the date that legislation is passed) to ensure that modifications were incorporated into vehicles.” He went on to say that “New Zealand had a unique heavy vehicle market due to our terrain coupled with the road user charge system and that our very small market meant that overseas manufacturers required long lead times to implement equipment changes such as this. It is not a simple matter of picking a module off a shelf and fitting it to a vehicle. Extensive testing is required to ensure that the vehicle is safe.”

Mr Kerr concluded “based on my experience with the time it takes to develop New Zealand legislation, work on this area needed to start before the end of the year if a 2015 implementation date was to be met.”

ENDS

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