A Government ban on using cellphones while driving will put New Zealand in line with the world's most successful road safety nations, the New Zealand Traffic Institute says.
The ban comes into force on November 1. drivers talking or texting while on the road will be liable for an $80
fine and 20 demerit points.
At least 50 other countries have bans or partial bans, many of them carrying penalties far greater than those in New Zealand.
In Ireland using a cellphone in a car can result in a three-month jail sentence.
Traffic Institute president Andy Foster said the ban was a good step toward achieving New Zealand's 2020 road safety goals.
The 2010 goal of no more than 300 road deaths a year had been missed by "a depressingly wide margin".
"Banning hand-held cellphones is an important step towards a community-owned road safety culture and achieving our road safety vision, Mr Foster said.
But it was only one of of many measures that would be needed to reduce death and injury on the roads.
The ban is part of a wider Government road safety plan announced on Wednesday by Transport Minister Steven Joyce.
It also includes requiring motorbikes and mopeds to have headlights on during the day, and allows delivery people to ride mopeds or motorcycles on footpaths, but no faster than 10km/h.
Said Mr Foster: "Researchers tells us that a key reason a cellphone conversation is dangerous is that in a face-to-face conversation the person in the car can also see the risks around you and can pause the conversation, whereas a person on a cellphone cannot - it is really that simple," Mr Foster said.
Drivers should turn off cellphones when getting into a car, "just as we do when going into meetings or the cinema".
- NZPA
