Consumer information has become the primary means of improving the safety of New Zealand’s light vehicle fleet in recent years. With the rapid pace of vehicle technology improvements, and the difficulties associated with introducing new legislation in this area, there are potentially greater benefits to be had from implementing a sound nonregulatory approach than are possible from regulation alone.

The primary objectives of New Zealand’s nonregulatory approach are to improve the safety of vehicles entering the fleet by increasing consumer demand for vehicles with high safety ratings, and also to influence the composition of the existing fleet through reduced demand for less-safe used vehicles.

In order to effectively bring this about, it is recognised that there is a need to disseminate credible and relevant safety information through a wide range of different channels. At the heart of the New Zealand approach is a website (www.rightcar.govt.nz) and an associated individual-vehicle-level database of safety ratings and specification data. This provides opportunities to extend the reach of safety information to a level where it is effectively unmissable by the vehicle buyer.

This paper presents a case study of the processes and systems that have enabled the NZ Transport Agency to put in place a consumer-driven programme for positively influencing the composition of the vehicle fleet. It describes how safety data is gathered from a diverse range of sources, how that data is collated and presented to vehicle buyers, and also the consumer education and information activities that support this programme.