NEWS

The Cycling Advocates' Network (CAN) welcomes the release of a discussion document proposing compulsory third party insurance for all motorists. The document was released today by Minister of Transport Safety Harry Duynhoven. CAN policy includes support for the introduction of compulsory third party insurance.

CAN spokesperson Axel Wilke says, 'CAN believes we should have compulsory third party insurance to provide for property damage. We also believe the ACC motor vehicle account funding should be restructured so the flat levy is replaced by a levy based on driver characteristics (e.g. age and driving record). This means a much clearer relationship between higher risk motorists and the costs of motoring.'
Release Date: 
Wednesday, 18 June, 2008
June 18, 2008 Anonymous (not verified)

Comments

I'd love to see a new methodology for infringement penalties introduced. Similar to road user charges, I think that penalties for infractions should be proportional to the mass of the vehicle involved.

That would create an inherent protection for the most vulnerable vehicles, i.e. pedestrians, cyclists, mobility scooter riders, etc. as people driving vehicles like SUVs, courier vans, taxi buses, etc. would face a substantially greater penalty when infringing on the rights of "lighter" road users.

Perhaps then drivers would actually start indicating again, paying more attention to the road than their KFC, tussling toddlers, or most recent txt msg. Perhaps they'd check their wing mirrors before throwing open car doors or engaging in other spontaneous unheralded maneuvers through cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings.

Who knows, maybe a few of them would even learn a few of the finer points of the road rules (of which most road users seem blissfully ignorant) like how to negotiate roundabouts, pull away from the curb, or alternate merge.

Dave

We've just received hard copy of the discussion document in the mail. Is someone (e.g. Axel) putting a submission together on it? Submissions are due by 8 August. Anyone who wants the hard copy, sing out.

Yes, we should put a submission together. In the spirit of a collaborative approach, CAN legal and CAN forum should have the opportunity to be involved in this. What is the time line for getting those YahooGroups converted to user accounts on our website?