Young New Zealanders are the most at risk of dying on our roads, according to a study the Automobile Association (AA) Research Foundation released. 

The research found that 18 to 24 year olds here are almost three times more likely to die on the roads than young Australians.

The study compared New Zealand’s driver licencing system with 16 comparable countries and states, and found evidence-based regulations these jurisdictions use to improve road safety.

Among these are a minimum learner period of 12 months, mandatory supervised and logged driving hours for learners, and a minimum restricted licensing age of 18.

In Aotearoa, the minimum learner period is six months, the minimum restricted licence age is 16-and-a-half and there aren’t compulsory supervised driving hours. 

“Dozens of families lose someone when their life is just starting.”

AA Research Foundation manager Dylan Thomsen says a combination of factors, like road quality and the vehicles people drive, impacts road safety.

But he says a person’s first two years of driving alone is the highest-risk time for them to get into a crash.

“A lot of other countries now are doing a lot more to better prepare novice drivers for starting out when they drive solo.

“They’re requiring learner drivers to do a lot more work, a lot more practice and clock up more time behind the wheel with a supervisor before they start driving on their own.”

He says they recognise it’s complicated and challenging, especially with a lot of young people who need to drive to get to their jobs or help loved ones out.

“That’s why we need to have a really good discussion as a country.”

His advice for young drivers potentially opposed to these measures is that driving is likely the riskiest activity we will ever do.

“The consequences of getting it wrong, or one moment with a bad decision, can see not just people's own lives, but their families' lives and other people's lives change in an instant.”

“It can literally be a matter of life and death.”

He says if we could just bring our young drivers’ crash rate down to the same level as Australia, it would mean dozens of families every year in New Zealand won’t need a funeral for a loved one in their 20s.

“That’s the difference between us and Australia right now, we are having dozens of families lose someone when their life is just starting.” 

Re: News asked two young people what they think of the research findings.

Faith Merrick says the system needs to change because the death rate is far too high, but there needs to be infrastructure and funding to support those changes.

The 24-year-old says implementing compulsory supervised driving hours could be a huge financial barrier for low-income people.

“That would be a great policy in theory but that costs thousands of dollars for people,” she says.

“So is it going to save people or is it still going to have people illegally driving?”

She says she’d had her learner licence for six years because coming from a low-income family, she couldn’t afford to pay for driving lessons and had no one to teach her.

Faith adds if the learner licence period is doubled, there needs to be a solid explanation behind that decision.

“I do think it could be good, but it’s a bit of a hard one.”

She says an extra six months isn’t going to make a huge difference if it’s mainly meant to reduce recklessness.

“Maybe there needs to be a change in how we’re teaching people how to drive.”

While she does think the minimum restricted licencing age of 16-and-a-half is too young, she doesn’t think raising it to 18 is best but suggests raising it to 17 instead.

“You can end up with a lot of people just driving on their learners, which creates more dangerous roads.”

When asked why some young people drive illegally, she says there are a few factors – it could just be about their independence, not fully understanding the risks they’re taking, or peer pressure.

Faith says there needs to be better driving education and a better understanding of the position of these young people who end up dying on the roads.  

Tzara Ali doesn’t agree with doubling the learner licence period, because she says it’s like treating the symptoms rather than addressing the cause of the death tolls.

“[The stats] are extremely alarming and I think this suggests a deeper issue than the mere length of a licence.”

The 21-year-old says raising the minimum restricted licencing age to 18 is ageist, adding it implies 16 year olds are irresponsible and incapable.

“From the time we turn 16, we're expected to go out and work, earn a few bucks. While we're working in the real world, we deal with rude customers, we deal with all kinds of people. 

“We're expected to go to university by the time we’re 17. So why shall we wait till 18? It just sounds extremely absurd to me.”

Tzara says there should be a multifaceted approach when addressing the high youth road death toll.

She says there should be more awareness around the issue, so young people know they’re not alone in this journey.

She would prefer to have mandatory supervised driving hours when people are on their learners.

“When we’re pushed to do things because it’s a country regulation or law, we’re more likely to do it compared to us making that inherent choice.”

But she says the cost would be the main issue, as most young people won’t have the financial means to pay for it.

“If the price for supervised driving lessons is high, chances are we won’t engage with it.”

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