Kiwification

photo credit: >Kirill

When applying for insurance cover (with ASB, the same bank our mortgage is with) for our car yesterday, I was asked several questions to to determine my personal “riskiness”.

When my agent asked whether I’d been charged with any traffic offenses in the past twelve months, she was surprised when I replied that I’d received at least 6 speeding fines. It seems that “More than three is considered risky“.

I tried to explain that these speeding fines had been in South Africa, where:

• Bribery is common, and traffic-cop-entrapment is not uncommon.
• The average flow of traffic on any road is 10-20km over the speed limit.
• Struggling to shake off a troubled past, South Africa is generally a “lawless” culture.

I was deemed “risky” enough that she was forced to confirm with their underwriter, and call me back. Maybe Mr Underwriter took my immigrant status into consideration, because she told me (with surprise) that my premiums won’t be affected, but that I’ll be on a “short leash”, should report any speeding fines to ASB, and may have to pay a higher excess in the event of a claim.

Discussing this with a Swedish colleague, I discovered that from his perspective, New Zealand’s traffic laws and fines are rather tame. Apparently, the minimum fine in Sweden (for going 2km over the speed limit) is the equivalent of $400. Failure to stop at a stop-sign will get your license suspended for 3 months, on the spot.

What are speeding fines like in New Zealand?

New Zealand’s speeding limits are relatively low (averaging 50km/hour in urban areas), and their tolerance for offenders is equally low. (South Africans, don’t ever try to bribe a Kiwi cop - you’ll just dig yourself in deeper)

Land Transport NZ’s “penalties and offences” table details the penalties for traffic-related offenses, including speeding, accidents, drunk driving, etc. To give you an idea:

• Exceeding New Zealand speed limit by 10km/h : $30
• Exceeding New Zealand speed limit by 10-15km/h : $80
• Exceeding New Zealand speed limit by 15-20km/h : $120

Speeding fines progressively increase for speeds in excess of 10 kilometres an hour, with a maximum fine of $630 where the speed is up to 50 kilometres an hour over the limit. Speeds in excess of this limit come into the careless / dangerous / reckless categories depending on circumstances, and also incur a mandatory 28 day licence suspension.