Wellington, July 3 NZPA - Plans to make motorists who drive older cars pay more in ACC levies than those in newer, safer cars will simply penalise the poor, a motoring commentator says.

ACC Minister Nick Smith said yesterday an ACC review would look at whether linking the levy to safety ratings of cars would help reduce the annual $336 million cost of road crashes.

Vehicle registration could be matched with a car's make and year and linked to a safety rating and a discount or extra premium.

Dr Smith said he had not made a decision about the change and the financial incentive might be difficult to introduce as New Zealand had a relatively old fleet and not everyone could afford to upgrade to a newer, safer car.

Clive Matthew-Wilson, editor of the Dog and Lemon Car Guide, said today that people bought old cars because they had little money.

"Penalising poor people for having little money is something that only someone in Treasury could dream up."

He said the simplest way to ensure that poor people drove safer cars was to ensure that government departments bought the safest cars in their class.

"That way, in five or 10 years time when these same cars are bought by poor people, the poor people will be driving safer vehicles."

Mr Matthew-Wilson said the Government was also ignoring proven ways to lower the road toll, such as upgrading the seatbelts in older vehicles, and most importantly of all, ensuring that all cars had automatic headlights.

Countries where cars drive with their headlights on at all times had a significantly lower road toll.

Other things being considered in Dr Smith's review were drivers paying levies according to their accident and infringement records, and shifting more of the ACC road levy from registration fees to fuel so those who drive more pay more.

Labour ACC spokesman David Parker said he would oppose a system that saw better-off drivers pay less because they could afford better cars.