80 per cent want drivers to be aged at least 18

The result of this survey follows the deaths of three teenagers on the roads at the weekend. Photo / Wanganui Chronicle

Eighty per cent of people want the legal driving age raised to 18 or higher.

A Herald-Nielsen survey of 2300 people found 74 per cent would like the driving age raised to 18. A further 6.5 per cent wanted it lifted to 20.

The result follows the deaths of three teenagers on the roads at the weekend. Jessica Law, 16, was killed and two other teens critically hurt north of Queenstown on Friday. And two youths died in the Northland settlement of Opononi early yesterday.

The survey comes as the Government considers ways to reduce the road toll. Transport Minister Steven Joyce has released the "Safer Journeys" discussion document, which puts forward more than 60 suggestions for changes to laws, regulations and policies, including lifting the minimum driving age from 15 to 17.

But the Automobile Association says increasing the age is not going to make our roads safer.

"Simply increasing the age is just going to kill them one year later, if you raise it by one year," said spokesman Simon Lambourne. "Supervised learner drivers are the safest drivers on our roads. When they go solo, the six months after is the greatest risk."

Mr Lambourne supported enforcing 120 hours of supervised driving before a learner can drive alone.

He said the AA had encouraged the Government to take up Australia's "keys2drive" programme, which combines online education with driving lessons for learners. "So when they go solo, they are as safe as possible."

The Auckland president of Federated Farmers, Philip York, said there should be allowances for country drivers. "I think there could be some leniency under restricted conditions for rural children. As long as there is some sort of restriction [such as] not going out at night or taking others."

Mr York thought 17 was a more sensible driving age than 18.

He said some rural children needed to drive to school or work and "you can't just stick them on a bus and you can't just drive them to do these things".

But he accepted that "people in town" saw things differently.

WHAT YOU SAID

(NZ Herald summer poll results):

74 per cent: Increase driver age to 18
18.5 per cent: Keep status quo
6.5 per cent: Increase driver age to 20
0.9 per cent: Were unsure

AGES AROUND THE WORLD

* Australia - 17
(except Victoria, 18, South Australia, 16)
* United Kingdom - 17
* South Africa - 18
* United States - 14, 15, 16
(depending on state)
* Canada - 16