The New Zealand Automobile Association (AA) and Kaitiaki o Ara / Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD) are urging Kiwi drivers to start using the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature of their mobile phones.
Of the 1,000 young drivers surveyed in 2025 by the AA Research Foundation, almost one in four admitted to scrolling social media while driving and more than half texting or messaging.
It’s estimated by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) that a driver is about four times more likely to be involved in a crash when using a phone.
SADD General Manager Donna Govorko said younger drivers are significantly more prone to phone distractions when they’re behind the wheel.
“This is the generation who have grown up in a time when social media and mobile phones are rooted in our daily lives, but we cannot let distracted driving become the norm when lives are at stake,” she said.
“That’s why we want our young drivers, and indeed all drivers, to try out the Do Not Disturb feature on their smartphone whenever they are behind the wheel.”
New Zealand’s young drivers currently have the highest rates of road deaths in the OECD, rates which are substantially above older age groups in New Zealand.
AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said if New Zealand had the same rate of road deaths among young people as Australia does, there would be 20 less deaths each year. He believes ‘Do Not Disturb’ could be a game changer.
“Putting your phone in ‘Do Not Disturb’ before hitting the road is an effective and incredibly easy strategy to limit distractions, taking about three seconds – that can be as quick as putting on your seatbelt,” he said.
“Adopting good driving habits at a young age can set drivers up for a lifetime of safer driving and ultimately save lives.”
