Government opts against mandating safety technology

NZTA have advised that the Government will not be mandating certain safety features on vehicles imported into NZ, including trucks.

Just under a year ago, NZTA consulted on mandating safety equipment on new and used light and heavy imports, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane keep support systems, acoustic alert systems for EVs, as well as electronic stability control (ESC) and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for heavies (both already mandated on light vehicles).

Transporting New Zealand surveyed our members about the fitment rates of this equipment on new purchase since 2023, and the level of support for mandating these features. With that feedback, we prepared a joint industry submission supporting mandating ESC and ABS for heavy vehicles, but not lane keep support systems until it was mandated in source markets, nor AEB for heavies until a global standard had been set.

However, in announcing the Government will not be mandating any of those safety features for light or heavy vehicles, Associate Transport Minister James Meager noted many new vehicles entering NZ are already fitted with these features and they are expected to become standard over time. Analysis by the new Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport showed that mandating the features would provide limited additional safety benefits while potentially increasing vehicle costs.