The Government has announced a new $1.335 billion police programme intended to make New Zealanders safer on roads.
It will mean more testing for drunk and drugged drivers as well as a focus on speed offences "on open roads and high-risk locations", the Government said.
Police will only get some of the money if they hit the scheme's targets, as $72 million is allocated as performance-based incentive funding.
The Road Policing Investment Programme (RPIP) for the 2024-2027, announced today by Transport Minister Simeon Brown, is said to be fully funded by the National Land Transport Fund.
Police will only get some of the funding if they hit targets on offences issued. (Source: 1News)
"The RPIP shows a significant step up in road policing and reinforces our government's commitment to ensuring there is strong enforcement on our roads," said Brown.
"This plan has a clear focus on outcomes and has clear targets to ensure police are focussed on the most high-risk times, behaviours, and locations.
"The plan will ensure police target speeding offences on high-risk roads, a clear focus on drugs and alcohol enforcement to deter impaired drivers, and expects police to focus on the key times and locations where the highest risk on our roads occur."
New Zealand's rate of motor vehicle deaths is one of the worst in the OECD, with an average of one person killed every day on our roads and another seven seriously injured.
The social cost of this issue is high. It was estimated to be at around $7.76 billion in 2023, in which 341 people died and 2,442 were seriously injured on New Zealand roads.
"Alcohol and drugs are the number one contributing factor in fatal road crashes in New Zealand. Over 2019-2022, crashes involving drug drivers claimed the lives of an average of 105 people each year and represented around 30% of all road deaths," said Brown.
"The plan increases the alcohol breath testing target from 3 million tests to 3.3 million tests per year and introduces a new target for at least 65% of alcohol breath tests to be undertaken during the most high and extreme alcohol risk times.
"Our government has also ringfenced $20 million in the RPIP to deliver and implement roadside drug testing in New Zealand and have set targets for police to undertake 50,000 oral fluid tests per year."
The targets of the RPIP - some of which must be met before funding is released to police - are for the number of tests conducted, as well as the number of offences issued by officers.
An actual lowering of the road toll is not a target of the programme.
The $72 million allocated over three years as incentive payments is contingent, Brown said, because "spending more money will not in itself deliver better results".
"What we've seen over the last 10 years is the police have met their target of 3 million tests in only two of those years. That's not acceptable.
"Some years, there have been less than 1.5 million tests. We know that when we see higher rates of testing, it has a deterrent effect. It makes our roads safer."
In addition to the efforts to address alcohol, drug and speed offences, the RPIP also prioritises enforcing rules around seatbelts and child restraints, commercial vehicles, and distracted drivers - particularly those using mobile phones.
SHARE ME