Insurance data has found younger motorists are the country's most at-risk drivers, but there are some riskier regions for drivers.
AMI insurance data has found drivers under 25 are just over a quarter more likely to have an accident when compared to all other drivers.
The data found the North Island may be home to some of the worst younger drivers, with Northland having the highest regional claim rate for drivers under 25 at 25 percent.
The East Coast or Gisborne region had the second highest claim rate at 22 percent, followed by Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay (all at 21 percent).
The highest claim rate in the South Island was Marlborough at 19 percent, followed by Canterbury at 18 percent.
While Nelson's young drivers had the lowest rate of claims at 15 percent.
Regional claim rates for drivers under the age of 25:
- Northland – 25%
- East Coast – 22%
- Waikato – 21%
- Bay of Plenty – 21%
- Hawkes Bay – 21%
- Taranaki – 20%
- Manawatu – 20%
- Marlborough – 19%
- Auckland – 18%
- Canterbury –18%
- Southland – 18%
- Wairarapa – 17%
- Wellington – 17%
- West Coast – 17%
- Otago – 16%
- Nelson – 15%
The data highlights the importance of driver training and safety, awareness from all drivers on the roads, and having insurance in case things go wrong.
"There are a lot of great young drivers out there, and some excellent driver education programmes, but these statistics show that we can’t be complacent when it comes to driver safety," AMI fleet risk manager Hamish Piercy said. "It's an unavoidable fact that to gain experience, you have to drive, so as a society we need to look at how we can enable that in safe ways."
AMI has partnered with Fleetcoach to offer an online driver education course that eligible AMI young driver customers can complete to qualify for $250 off their vehicle policy excess.
