Wellington, June 24 NZPA - A new safety rating system for state highways will provide important information for drivers, Transport Minister Steven Joyce says.

The KiwiRAP Star Ratings have been developed by the AA and the Transport Agency.

They provide an assessment of the relative levels of safety built into state highways.

One star roads have the lowest safety rating and five star roads the highest.

Mr Joyce said KiwiRAP provided star ratings for 89 percent of the state highway network, covering more than 10,000kms of rural highways with speed limits of 80kmh or more.

He hoped drivers would use the ratings to educate themselves about the relative safety of the roads and adjust their driving.

Details are on www.kiwirap.co.nz

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