Why are 8,367 people sitting in remand for traffic and vehicle regulatory offences right now? That's the question posed by the latest data from Stats NZ, and the answer should concern anyone who thinks our justice system is focused on serious crime.

This isn't a gradual climb. It's a spike. Last year, 4,734 people were on remand for these offences. This year, that figure hit 8,367. That's a 77% jump in twelve months. (Source: Stats NZ, remand-prisoners)

To find numbers this high, you have to go back to 2009. Between 2020 and 2023, the figure held relatively steady, hovering between 4,500 and 6,800. Then something shifted.

Remand means waiting. These aren't convicted offenders serving sentences. They're people who haven't been to trial yet, sitting in custody because a judge decided they shouldn't be released. For traffic offences. Not violent crime. Not drug dealing. Driving violations.

The trajectory tells a story. In 2021, during COVID lockdowns, the number dropped to 4,512. That makes sense: fewer cars on the road, fewer violations, fewer remand prisoners. But 2024's surge isn't explained by more cars or more speeding tickets. The roads haven't suddenly become twice as dangerous.

What has changed is how the system treats these offences. Either police are charging more people, courts are denying bail more often, or the backlog is so severe that people are stuck waiting longer. Possibly all three.

Here's the context that matters: remand is expensive. It costs taxpayers roughly $338 per day to keep someone in prison. Multiply that by 8,367 people, and you're spending $2.8 million every single day holding people who haven't been convicted of anything yet. For traffic offences.

The human cost is harder to quantify but no less real. Someone arrested for driving while disqualified might lose their job while waiting months for a court date. They might lose their housing. Their kids might end up in state care. All before a judge hears the case.

This isn't about being soft on crime. It's about asking whether remand makes sense for regulatory violations. If someone's a danger to the public, absolutely, keep them locked up. But if they're waiting in jail because the court system is overwhelmed and bail conditions are getting stricter across the board, that's a policy failure dressed up as public safety.

The data doesn't explain why this is happening. But it does show that it is happening, at a scale we haven't seen in fifteen years. Someone should ask what changed, and whether doubling the remand population for traffic offences is actually making anyone safer.