Tower’s GoCarma App Reveals Aotearoa’s Best And Worst Drivers

Westport named New Zealand’s safest driving region, while Auckland and Canterbury fall behind.

Data amassed by Tower’s GoCarma app, which has recorded over 10.5 million kilometers of driving since it launched a year ago, has revealed Aotearoa’s best and worst drivers.

GoCarma uses Bluetooth technology to score a driver’s performance out of 100. Each trip is given a score based on speed, braking skills and mobile phone usage, with the driver given an average score to encourage safer driving habits.

Data taken from 339,713 trips shows that, on average, Greymouth has the highest safety driving score in New Zealand on 79, followed by Hawkes Bay with an average score of 78 and Otago with 75.

Auckland and Canterbury scored well below the national average, scoring 68 and 66 respectively.

The data shows these drivers are also among the worst for driving distracted, with drivers aged 30-40 living in Auckland or Christchurch most likely to use their device while driving.

The GoCarma app measures every time a driver picks up their mobile to check a message, make a call or look at a map – even when stopped at the lights.

John Steele, a 71-year-old retiree from Rakaia, has the highest average safety score for any GoCarma user that has driven over 10,000km.

He’s sitting with an average score of 88 out of 100 and says that these days, he usually gets behind the wheel for trips into Christchurch or Ashburton, or to visit his grandkids in North Canterbury.

“Since first obtaining my license when I was 16, I have tried to drive to the conditions and be observant of potential hazards,” says John.

John found out about GoCarma through the MyTower portal and has already won prizes for his safe driving, including two tickets to the All Blacks in Auckland earlier this year. John has also been awarded the inaugural ‘GoCarma Safest Driver of the Year Award’ and has been refunded the remaining cost of his annual car premium.

“I was very surprised but honoured to be named as GoCarma’s safest driver in their first year,” says John.

While the GoCarma app is available to all drivers on both Apple and Android devices, Tower reward their customers with high safety scores. Rewards have included over 200 excess discounts valued between $100 and $300, as well as Airpoints dollars, My Auto Shop, Uber Eats and Chuffed Travel Experience vouchers and more.

Tower’s Head of Propositions, Sally Gordon is pleased that Kiwis have embraced GoCarma, which was a finalist for ‘Innovation of the Year’ at the 2021 New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards.

“GoCarma is a fantastic tool to help drivers improve driver safety and to gain valuable insights on how we behave on our roads, all while giving customers the opportunity to gain rewards and discounts on their Tower premiums.

“We’re pleased Kiwis have been using GoCarma to be safer on the road. As we get ready for the holiday season, we want them to be mindful of distractions so they can arrive safely at their destination,” says Gordon.

The GoCarma app is free to use for anyone in New Zealand and is available for download from the Apple and Google Play app stores.

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