1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: Now speeding tickets. If you got a speeding ticket last year, 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: you were not alone. According to official figures, police officers 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: issued five hundred and thirty eight thousand speeding finds last year. 4 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: Now on average, that's actually more than one fine permanent 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,800 Speaker 1: for the whole year, and it doesn't include fines from 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: fixed all mobile cameras, and it is up way on 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: the two years previously. Dylan Thompson is an AA Safety 8 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: road safety spokesperson and with US Hi, Dylan, morning, Well afternoon, Yeahduce, 9 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: that day's got away on you, isn't it. It is 10 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: the afternoon, Dylan. Why has it gone up so much? 11 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: Why have they started finding us at such a big rate. 12 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 2: Essentially, in the last couple of years, the police have 13 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:47,959 Speaker 2: really lifted their focus around drunk driving enforcement and speeding enforcement. 14 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:51,239 Speaker 2: So in the kind of late twenty teens that had 15 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 2: dropped off quite a bit, and the last couple of 16 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,200 Speaker 2: years the police have really come back with a renewed focus. 17 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,639 Speaker 2: They are out on the road a lot more than 18 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 2: they were, and we're seeing that come through in the 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:04,919 Speaker 2: ticketing numbers. 20 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, why did it drop back? I mean because we're 21 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:09,280 Speaker 1: back up to the levels that we lasted was sixteen 22 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,759 Speaker 1: years ago, so what happened in that period. 23 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 2: Very hard to kind of know what exactly was behind it. 24 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: I think that there was a lot of sort of 25 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 2: pressures and calls on the police, and road policing offices 26 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 2: were sometimes been covering other duties and having to do 27 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 2: those kind of things spread themselves around. But in the 28 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 2: last couple of years that has changed. There's been a 29 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 2: big focus once again on being back out on the roads. 30 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 2: And what we've also seen in the last couple of 31 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 2: years is we've actually had the lowest rates of road 32 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 2: deaths in New Zealand and more than a century. And 33 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:51,560 Speaker 2: we think those things are connected. 34 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: Now. I saw that and I thought, I'd love to 35 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: believe that they are connected. But we also have a 36 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: drop off in road deaths when we have a recession, 37 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 1: right because people lot less, and we've just gone through 38 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: a period of quite extended recession. So could it not 39 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: actually just be that. 40 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,079 Speaker 2: In twenty twenty four, actually driving did not drop. It 41 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,799 Speaker 2: was the most kilometers driven on New Zealand's roads ever 42 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 2: and we had a record low road toll. We won't 43 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: have data for twenty twenty five yet, but it doesn't 44 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,160 Speaker 2: look like we've seen much of a drop off in 45 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 2: driving through these tough times, so that doesn't seem to 46 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 2: be really the reason behind it. You know, the economy 47 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 2: is likely to be playing a factor, but to have 48 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 2: two years in a row of these record lows, there 49 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,919 Speaker 2: seems to be more going on than just the economic times. 50 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: Okay, now do you think I mean you still I think? 51 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: Am I right in thinking you go about ten k's 52 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: over the speed limit? You're still only getting whacked with 53 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: a thirty dollar fine or something like that. So do 54 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 1: you guys still have the view that they need to 55 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: go up the fines. 56 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 2: Yes, we are, but not just the fines on their own. 57 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: We do think that, you know, it's been since the 58 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 2: nineties since those finds have changed. They're much lower than 59 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 2: other countries, and our survey work shows that the majority 60 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 2: of AA members think they're too low to be effective. 61 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 2: So we do think the money value needs to go up. 62 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: But we'd also like to see some alternatives to fines 63 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 2: coming in and being used some other countries. You can 64 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 2: have an option where sometimes people can be fined or 65 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,519 Speaker 2: they can do some sort of course around speeding or 66 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 2: seat belts or cell phones as an alternative, and we 67 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 2: think to merit points being used more could actually work 68 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,800 Speaker 2: better to change behavior. So we think we need to 69 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 2: be doing a number. 70 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: Of things alternative theory. If you didn't alternative theory on 71 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: the text, which is the reason that fewer people are 72 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: dying on the roads is because we've got more modern 73 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: cars that are more safe. 74 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 2: I definitely think that that's a factor. Absolutely that is 75 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 2: going to be playing a part. And we've also seen 76 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 2: a number of our higher risk highways been upgraded or 77 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 2: replaced with new highways. So I think there's multiple things 78 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:04,200 Speaker 2: in but definitely think enforcement is part of that mix. 79 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 1: All right, listen, Dylan, always good to talk to you. 80 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: Thank you so much, mate, You look after yourself. That's 81 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: Dylan Thompson, who is the AA Road Safety spokesperson. 82 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 2: For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to 83 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,119 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 84 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.