Vehicle safety

Your choice of vehicle plays a major role in keeping everyone safe on our roads.

A vehicle’s ability to prevent a crash or protect people if a crash happens is key to reducing the numbers of deaths and injuries on our roads. The design of the vehicle, its structural integrity and its safety features can lessen the risk to people inside and outside the vehicle in a crash, and in some cases, prevent a crash occurring.

Key facts about vehicle safety:

  • You are twice as safe in a 5-star safety rated vehicle than in a 1-star safety rated vehicle.
  • About 40% of New Zealand’s light vehicles have 1 or 2-star safety ratings. That’s approximately 1.8 million vehicles.
  • Many people don’t know or over-estimate the safety rating of their current vehicle. It’s easy to check via Rightcar.govt.nz.(external link)
  • A warrant of fitness (WoF) is a general safety check to ensure a vehicle is roadworthy at the time of inspection. You need to keep your vehicle to a WOF standard at all times.