Dunedin police are waiting to see whether changed give way rules will result in fewer intersection crashes, as intended.
The city has a high urban intersection crash rate, but local police report there have been no noticeable problems associated with the new rules.
It will be several months before enough crash data is available for assessment of whether the changes have had any impact nationwide.
To date there have also been no serious incidents arising from the changes elsewhere in the country.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has praised motorists for a fantastic 40 days on roads since the new rules were implemented on March 25.
NZTA acting chief executive Stephen Town said, while it was still early days, the agency was pleased with the way drivers had responded to changes.
"Police tell us drivers are applying the new rules well and driving carefully at intersections.
Overall, we've seen an amazing outbreak of patience, caution and courtesy on the roads, and New Zealand drivers deserve a real pat on the back for that," he said.
A few vocal critics of the changes were being proved wrong, Mr Town said.
Results from an NZTA-commissioned survey of 1000 drivers carried out last month showed increasing levels of awareness and understanding of the rule changes.
Ninety percent of respondents chose the correct option when asked which vehicle should give way at an uncontrolled T-intersection, compared with 61% who answered correctly when surveyed in February.
For the right-hand turn rule, 89% answered correctly in the April survey, compared with 74% in February.
The challenge for all drivers was to stay vigilant at intersections and avoid slipping back into old habits, Mr Town said.
"It will take some time before the new rules become second nature, but based on the great response from drivers over the first 40 days we're optimistic things can continue to go smoothly," he said.
