The Value of Safety

Media Release

Wellington, 22 August 2012

The Value of Safety

New Zealanders get more than 1.2 million vehicle inspections every year from VTNZ, supporting this week’s findings by the Motor Trade Association that vehicle safety is top of mind for drivers.

In the MTA survey of 1000 drivers, 98% said the Warrants of Fitness is a valuable safety check.

“That’s an overwhelming vote of confidence in the value and importance of New Zealand’s current vehicle safety testing regime,” VTNZ Chief Executive Mike Walsh said.

“It’s also no surprise, given that we have one of the oldest car fleets in the world with an average age of 13 years - half of which require some work or repair before they can get a WoF.”

Cars need to be inspected every 12 months until they’re six years old, after that it’s every six months.

“The most common reasons cars fail an inspection are lights and tyres which affect all cars, new and old alike,” Mr Walsh said. “They’re also the faults most commonly implicated in vehicle accidents.”

The next most common faults are steering or suspension, brakes and glazing or wipers.

“For around $50, motorists can buy an 80 point safety inspection – a valuable investment to prevent a road accident, injury, or even a fatality.”

“Ultimately, regular warrants reduce the social and economic costs of vehicles that experience failure of key safety components.”

“You need a warrant to drive on the road, but people really see the WoF inspection as a convenient and affordable way to make sure their vehicle is safe,” Mr Walsh said.

“It’s little wonder that the European Union is looking at moving to more frequent vehicle inspections, and in the US authorities are looking to make vehicle inspections like ours mandatory as a way of improving road safety there.”
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