Young Kiwis Implored to Drive Down Road Deaths

Young Kiwis Implored to Drive Down Road Deaths

          National research uncovers key road risk factors amongst New Zealand youth New research released today has revealed young New Zealand drivers are fuelling the risk of road trauma by lacking basic car safety knowledge and skills. The data from Driver Safety New Zealand[1] showed a staggering 89 per cent of drivers aged 25 and under do not undertake regular vehicle checks – either lacking the skills to perform the checks themselves or naively believing a warning light would alert them to any safety issues. Despite one in two young Kiwis driving a vehicle that is more than a decade old, more than one third of drivers have never considered what they would do if their car broke down unexpectedly. Alarmingly, the research also revealed that one in two drivers aged 25 and under have knowingly driven a car that had a safety issue at the time, while two thirds admitted they would keep driving if their car was making an unusual noise. When it came to facing a specific issue like a broken headlight or worn windscreen wiper, the research showed that young drivers are five times more likely to spend $50 on a meal out with friends than they would on fixing a safety concern. Driver Safety New Zealand founder and CEO Russell White said this frightening research was not only endangering the lives of young drivers, but all road users. “These latent attitudes towards safety are surprising given that one quarter of young drivers have broken down suddenly, and a further two in five have been stranded when travelling in a friend...
Young Australians Implored to Drive Down Road Deaths

Young Australians Implored to Drive Down Road Deaths

          YOUNG AUSTRALIANS IMPLORED TO DRIVE DOWN ROAD DEATHS National research uncovers key road risk factors amongst Australian youth   New research released today has revealed young Australian drivers are fueling the risk of road trauma by lacking basic car safety knowledge and skills. The data from Driver Safety Australia[1] showed a staggering 90 per cent of drivers aged 25 and under do not undertake regular vehicle checks – either lacking the skills to perform the checks themselves or naively believing a warning light would alert them to any safety issues. Despite one in two young Australians driving a vehicle that is more than a decade old, the same number of drivers have never considered what they would do if their car broke down unexpectedly. Alarmingly, the research also revealed that half of drivers aged 25 and under have knowingly driven a car that had a safety issue at the time, while three in five admitted they would keep driving if their car was making an unusual noise. When it came to facing a specific issue like a broken headlight or worn windscreen wiper, the research showed that young drivers are five times more likely to spend $50 on a meal out with friends than they would on fixing a safety concern. Driver Safety Australia founder and CEO Russell White said this frightening research was not only endangering the lives of young drivers, but all road users. “These latent attitudes towards safety are surprising given that one quarter of young drivers have broken down suddenly, and a further two in five have been stranded when...
Unsafe Cars Fueling Increased Road Risk For Young Drivers

Unsafe Cars Fueling Increased Road Risk For Young Drivers

MEDIA RELEASE           UNSAFE CARS FUELING INCREASED ROAD RISK FOR YOUNG DRIVERS New research looks under the bonnet for key road risk factors among Australian youth Despite already being the most vulnerable group, new research has revealed that young drivers are increasing their risk of road trauma by allowing basic safety essentials to go unchecked. In fact, the new data from Driver Safety Australia released today has shown that three in four drivers aged 25 and under are driving a car that is more than a decade old. Despite this, four in five young Australian drivers are guilty of not undertaking any regular checks on their car – either leaving it to someone else or naively believing a warning light would alert them to any safety issue. Even when faced with a specific issue like a broken headlight or worn windscreen wiper, the research revealed that young drivers are two times more likely to blow $50 on a meal out with friends than they would on fixing that safety concern. In fact, young drivers are more likely to spend money cleaning their car than they are fixing a critical safety issue. Alarmingly, the research also showed that two in five drivers aged 25 and under have knowingly driven on a car that had a safety issue at the time. Driver Safety Australia founder and CEO Russell White said this frightening research was not only endangering the lives of young drivers, but road users more generally. “Car crashes happen in an instant, and in that moment having a car in safe condition can be the difference between...

Supercheap Auto ‘Check It’

MEDIA RELEASE     UNSAFE CARS FUELLING INCREASED ROAD RISK FOR YOUNG DRIVERS New research looks under the bonnet of key road risk factors for New Zealand youth Despite already being the most vulnerable group, new research has revealed that young drivers are increasing their risk of road trauma by allowing basic safety essentials to go unchecked. In fact, the new data from Driver Safety New Zealand released today has shown that four in five drivers aged 25 and under, own a car that is more than a decade old. Despite this, two thirds of young New Zealand drivers are guilty of not undertaking any regular checks on their car – either leaving it to someone else or naively believing a warning light would alert them to any safety issues. Even when faced with a specific issue like a broken headlight or worn windscreen wiper, the research revealed that young drivers are six times more likely to blow $50 on a meal out with friends than they would on fixing a vehicle safety concern. In fact, young drivers are more likely to spend money cleaning their car than they are fixing a critical safety issue. Alarmingly, the research also showed that 40 per cent of those aged 25 and under, have driven a car they knew had a safety issue at the time. Driver Safety Australia & New Zealand founder and CEO Russell White said this frightening research was not only endangering the lives of young drivers, but road users generally. “Car crashes happen in an instant, and in that moment, having a car in safe condition can be...
Channel 7 Sunrise – Rage Rising on our Roads

Channel 7 Sunrise – Rage Rising on our Roads

Driver Safety Australia’s Russell White, speaks to channel 7 Sunrise about the rise in road violence incidents on our roads. It is clearly time to address our level of tolerance for our fellow road users. Watch the full video...