A crash every 30 minutes at NZ intersections

Digital image / P.K. Stowers

Every 30 minutes someone around the country crashes at an intersection, figures released by the New Zealand Transport Agency show.

That makes, on average, 312 intersection crashes a week, or 16,250 crashes a year.

Figures compiled from 2006 to 2010 show, on average, Auckland makes up about one third of all intersection crashes around the country.

In the five years from 2006 to 2010 there was 81,252 intersection crashes around the country, of which 31,019 happened around Auckland.

The second highest crash area was Canterbury with 9631 intersection crashes in the five year period, followed closely by Wellington at 8200.

The West Coast had the lowest crash rate at 393 crashes from 2006 to 2010.

On Sunday, the give way rule at intersections changes and the New Zealand Transport Agency said it released these figures to show how common intersection crashes were.

There would be crashes at intersections this Sunday, and there would be crashes at intersections every day next week, NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said, "Because there are dozens of crashes at intersections every single day of the year."

"We're asking media covering the implementation of the new rules this Sunday to keep that in mind, and to resist the urge to link intersection crashes to the new rules before the facts are in. A little bit of perspective and context will go a long way."

Over the long term the NZTA expected the new give way rules to reduce intersection crashes by about seven per cent. When similar changes were made in Victoria in Australia in 1993, there was a 7.1 per cent drop in crashes at intersections.

From 5am this Sunday, drivers turning right must give way to oncoming traffic turning left into the same street.

And drivers approaching the end of a road at a "T" intersection must give way to traffic turning toward them into the road.