Repeat drunk, speeding and young drivers cause a third of all road deaths, new research shows.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce will issue a report today detailing the damage done on the country's roads by the worst drivers.

The Government will crack down on young drivers this year, with possible changes to the graduated driver licence scheme.

The research, covering the five years to the end of 2009, comes after a crash on Friday in which a 17-year-old driver killed himself, his teenage friend and an innocent military veteran.

"There is a core group of people who are not respecting their role on the road and not respecting the rules that are in place," Mr Joyce said. "We do have to have a continuing and closer look at how we handle those people."

In the crash at 11.45pm on Friday, just south of Waihi, police said Dylan Perkinson, 17, appeared to have crossed the centre-line into the path of another car, occupied by father-of-three Mark August Sydney, 44.

Both Dylan and his front seat passenger, Vance Williams, 16, were killed by the impact, as well as Mr Sydney, who had received a New Year's honour in 2007 for his work with the Royal New Zealand military police in Bosnia.

The crash details – which police suspect include a licence breach, speed and alcohol – illustrate the Transport Ministry research made public today.

The data focuses on "high-risk drivers", defined as those who are unlicensed or disqualified; fleeing from police; at least 50 per cent over the blood-alcohol limit; repeat drink-drivers or repeat speedsters.

Those drivers were at fault in 35 per cent of fatal crashes, the research shows.

Young people, aged under 30, were the heaviest contributors to the high-risk group, accounting for more than 52 per cent of fatal crashes. Of all the high-risk fatal drivers, 83 per cent were men.

Nearly half the high-risk drivers aged 15 to 19 were guilty of driving outside the rules of their licence. A further 14 per cent were also over the legal blood-alcohol limit.

And after dark, the high-risk drivers took a much heavier toll, with the numbers for a typical Saturday showing they were responsible for 29 per cent of fatal crashes during the day (6am to 6pm), 51 per cent in the evening (6pm to 10pm) and 64 per cent at night (10pm to 6am).

In the five-year period surveyed, 376 at-risk drivers killed themselves with their driving, but they were also responsible for the deaths of 179 of their passengers and 87 other innocent road users.

Thirty people aged under 15 and 63 over 15 were among the dead passengers.

Mr Joyce said the statistics associated with young drivers were a tragedy.

"One of the sad things is the number of passengers killed by people under the age of 30 when they're driving and they're causing an accident," he said.

"It's just a tragedy overall, the under 30-group. It's the other people that are affected as much as the high-risk drivers."

The Government already has a bill on its way through Parliament to increase the driving age to 16, set a zero blood-alcohol limit for under-20s and double prison sentences for dangerous drivers who cause death.

But Mr Joyce said that was only the "first round" of measures, and officials would this year turn their attention to possible changes to the graduated driver licence scheme. Tests would get tougher, and the Government would also look at how to move a significant number of people sitting on their restricted licence on to their full licence.

As well, the Government was still considering a plan to set vehicle power restrictions for young drivers.

Case study 1

Jesse William Langeveld, 19, was nearly three times the youth alcohol limit when the car he was driving slammed into a wall in Invercargill, killing him and his two friends, Tylar James Parry and Ethan James Peek, both 16. The car was travelling at 140kmh at the moment of impact. Langeveld had incurred 34 driving infringements and owed more than $10,000 in fines.

Case study 2

Norm Fitt, 73, and Dee Jordan, 67, were killed when a driver fleeing police crashed into their car at a Christchurch intersection in August. Phillip Bruce Ray Bannan, 22, was disqualified from driving, had no licence or warrant and was twice the legal blood-alcohol limit when he smashed into the pair's car after running two red lights.

Case study 3

Lisone Cummings, 20, was driving too fast for the conditions, did not have a current warrant of fitness and was breaching his learner's licence conditions when he drove his two best friends to town on a rainy Saturday night in October 2008. David Iafeta, 19, and Jimmy Junior Rere, 20, both died after being flung from the car after it went into a skid on the motorway flyover near Wellington's Aotea Quay and hit the median barrier. Mr Iafeta landed in the ferry terminal car park 20 metres below the flyover.

The Facts

Dangers associated with high-risk drivers involved in fatal crashes:

25pc had prior alcohol offences.

25pc had two or more prior speeding offences (not including being caught by a speed camera).

34pc were unlicensed or disqualified.

50pc had a high blood-alcohol level.

7pc were racing or showing off.

3pc were evading enforcement.

Figures from a typical Saturday show after dark the high-risk drivers took a much heavier toll:

They accounted for 29pc of fatal crashes during the day (6am to 6pm).

51pc in the evening (6pm to 10pm).

64pc at night (10pm to 6am).

They were also likely to be involved in more serious crashes:

Fatal crashes: 1613 at-fault drivers, 35pc high-risk drivers.

Serious crashes: 9380 at-fault drivers, 23pc high-risk drivers.

Minor crashes: 40,884 at-fault drivers, 16pc high-risk drivers.

Total (for the five years 2005-09): 51,877 at-fault drivers, 17pc high-risk drivers.

- © Fairfax NZ News