Provincial roads carry double the road risk of the big cities
New Zealand recorded its lowest rate of road deaths in more than a century in 2025, adjusted for population.
|November 4, 2026Listen to the full interview:
Provincial regions have about double the rate of road deaths or serious injuries of Auckland or Wellington.
AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen says New Zealand recorded its lowest rate of road deaths in more than a century in 2025, adjusted for population. “The roads in terms of road deaths have never been as safe as they have been the last couple of years,” he says.
He says the higher rates are on the West Coast and in Northland, Gisborne, Manawatū, Whanganui, Taranaki and Waikato, where people drive longer distances on faster roads.
“Same mistake, very different consequences.”
He says about one in three young drivers crash in their first few years.
He says the AA wants the next government to make road maintenance its first transport priority.
To learn more, visit aa.co.nz
Watch the full interview:
CountryWide CONNECT with Andy Thompson & Sarah Perriam-Lampp is our daily rural show livestreamed from 11am-1pm. Visit country-wide.co.nz on how to watch/listen or download the CountryWide CONNECT mobile app, available on Apple iOS and Android.
