Don’t Give In To Your Driving Vices This Easter

Friday, 6 August 2021, 10:26 am
Press Release: Tower Insurance

30 March 2021

GoCarma is supporting Kiwis to travel New Zealand

During our lifetimes we spend the equivalent of more than four years driving around in our cars.

So, you would think that Kiwis, given our love of long weekend roadies, are great drivers. But the unfortunate news is that we could be doing better.

Research from Tower shows more than a third of drivers admit to looking at their mobile phone while driving and running orange lights. Nearly a quarter of New Zealanders admit to driving when tired.

Tower’s Head of Propositions, Sally Gordon, hopes Kiwis focus on their driving this Easter as they travel New Zealand.

“Our research shows that 96% of Kiwis think other drivers need to improve their road skills. The reality is that everyone can always improve their driving and we all know that when traveling over long weekends like Easter it’s more important than ever.”

“The insights from GoCarma shows that plenty of Kiwis can benefit from slowing down. We can also take more frequent breaks when driving long distances and ignoring our phones while driving. GoCarma can bring bad habits to our attention and help us focus on the road better this Easter,” says Mrs Gordon.

Tower’s new partnership with tourism start up, Chuffed Gifts, means skilled drivers can win vouchers for their choice of holiday activity from tourism hot spots all over the country.

Chuffed Gifts was started to encourage Kiwis to gift travel experiences rather than stuff, and in turn support regional economies and struggling tourism businesses. We are thrilled to have this important partnership with Tower encouraging and rewarding safer driving, because all great experiences begin and end with safe travel,” says Alex Howard, Head of Experiences at Chuffed Gifts.

Mrs Gordon says, “We want to make it easy for Kiwis to take safe road trips around New Zealand and visit their favourite touristy experiences. We’ve got so much in our backyard, so now’s the time to visit what New Zealand has to offer.”

Since launching in early December, Kiwis have logged more than 100,000 trips on GoCarma. Most trips have been around town journeys, with 62% of users travelling between 0 and 25kms.

GoCarma is available for download on iOS and Android devices on the app stores. GoCarma is available to all NZ drivers, not just Tower customers, and those using the app can get rewards for safe driving to make driving more fun.

GoCarma top tips while driving this long weekend:

1. Don’t be a distracted driver. Keep your phone in the boot or backseat and keep anything you may need close to you, such as water, so you’re not reaching into the back while driving.
2. Look further ahead so that you can smoothly moderate your acceleration and braking ahead of road conditions in front of you.
3. Keep to the speed limit. The faster you drive, the less time you have to respond to hazards ahead.
4. Be alert. Driving when you're tired, weary or exhausted slows your reflexes and affects your ability to concentrate and make good decisions.
5. Be safe. Claims for motor vehicle and home burglaries increased by 50% around Easter 2019. Make sure your home is secure and your car is parked in a safe or well lit place.

Case study

Michael Ross hailing from Christchurch, Michael recently won the North vs South driving competition with the higher number of safe KMs driven in 1 month.

The app uses your car’s Bluetooth to track your speed, turning and braking skills to give each drive a score out of 100. Michael is sitting with an average score of 75 out of 100 per drive, and he says it’s down to being vigilant about his speed and his patience on the road.

“I’m out every day doing something in the car but I believe that it’s better to get there two minutes late, then to not get there at all so I’m conscious about my speed.

“The app has definitely helped me to be more focussed on being a better driver and the benefit that comes with that is the possibility of a reduction of excess,” Says Mr Ross.

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