The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is urging motorists to take out insurance after finding out that motorists have been damaging bridges, median barriers, and other road assets in the past five years.
The NZTA’s latest report under the Official Information Act revealed that 158 motorists have been invoiced $1,093,034.15 by the agency from June 2014 to July 2019 – with costs for damage being recovered by the agency either through prosecuting the driver then ordering to pay reparation or confirming that the loss was caused by negligent driving.
The agency reminded motorists to be careful when driving and take out insurance to cover damage caused by accidents.
"When a driver is at fault in a crash, and when there are costs associated with that crash such as clean-up, traffic management, or damage to roadside equipment or signage on the state highway network, the NZ Transport Agency may seek to recover the costs from the individuals responsible,” a spokesman for NZTA told Stuff.co.nz. “This is the same principle which applies when a driver at fault in a crash causes damage to any property – they (or their insurance companies) are liable for the costs.
“So, it's important [that] we think carefully about when it is appropriate to seek costs and how long to wait until after a crash has occurred before seeking to recover those costs. We also advise drivers to refer these matters to their insurance companies whenever possible.”
Mike Noon, general manager for motoring affairs at AA New Zealand, noted that a lot of motorists seem to be unaware that they could be liable for costs.
"If you had your car parked on your front lawn and someone came careening off the road and took your fence out and hit the car, you'd go back to them and want them to pay for it. These things like road signs are public property and if someone damages it then they should be liable," Noon told Stuff.co.nz. “If you're at fault, you're at fault, and that's why you should – as a bare minimum – have third party insurance.”
