Murph’s wake-up call – and the ten driving rules guiding some of NZ’s best known Kiwis

Greg Murphy still remembers the moment his life changed behind the wheel. Driving late at night, tired, and with alcohol still in his system, on a road he’d driven “heaps of times before,” he lost control of his Datsun 1200 – spinning 180 degrees, sliding down a bank and hitting trees, one of which struck just inches behind the passenger seat.

“I thought the passenger was dead. I thought I’d killed her,” he recalls, describing the pitch black silence, no streetlights, no mobile phones, and the sheer luck of a passing car finding them and raising the alarm.

That near-tragedy, he says, was “a wake-up call in a big way – fate just gave me a second chance.”

As the mercury rises and the holiday season approaches, New Zealand’s roads will soon see a surge in long-distance travel as families head to beaches, baches and barbecues. With the additional congestion comes heightened risk – particularly fatigue, distraction and speed, which remain leading contributors to serious crashes.

Murphy (Murph)’s story anchors the podcast series, In the Driver’s Seat with Greg Murphy, which puts real-world driver behaviour under the spotlight. Across ten episodes, the motorsport legend and road-safety advocate encourages New Zealanders to rethink their everyday driving habits – from managing distraction to understanding vehicle limits and making safer decisions under pressure.

Produced by fleet safety specialists AutoSense, the series blends entertainment with practical insight. Murph interviews some of New Zealand’s most recognisable personalities about their driving quirks, cautionary tales, and the lessons that have stuck with them.

Guests include Rocket Lab founder Sir Peter Beck, Dame Susan Devoy, Sir Peter Leitch, wellness advocate Art Green, comedian Paul Ego, fishing expert Matt Watson, parenting specialist Nathan Wallis, sports presenter Laura McGoldrick, radio hosts Jay Reeve and Duncan Heyde, and former Silver Fern Jenny-May Clarkson.

Each episode begins with a drive around Auckland’s city fringe in the guest’s own car before moving into the studio for deeper conversations – spanning childhood memories, learning-to-drive stories, and moments that shaped their views of the road.

For transport operators, insurers and fleet managers, the series offers a human look at the behaviours that sit behind many preventable incidents - and the small, everyday habits that can reduce risk.

The ten guests share their own advice – sometimes light-hearted, sometimes confronting - but all relevant for anyone planning summer road travel.

• Laura McGoldrick – “It’s a limit, not a target,” underscores her Dad’s philosophy about speed restrictions, and how she still regards speed limits. These days Laura treats drive time as meaningful connection time with her kids. “Some of my favourite moments happen in the car.”

• Jay Reeve and Duncan Heyde – Stay alert by staying curious. Jay changes his school run routes just to mix it up: “I’m an inquisitive driver.” He pre-sets his playlist before each trip – but his kids often hijack the aux cord from the back seat. Still, he uses the steering-wheel skip button to regain control.

• Jenny-May Clarkson – Stay mentally engaged. Jenny-May uses podcasts to stay focused, especially on long drives. A former police officer who attended her first fatal crash at just 20, she’s now raising four children - including two daughters who have recently learnt to drive. “I’m always saying to them: don’t be a dick… make the right decisions… think about how you protect yourself.”

• Sir Peter Beck – Take young drivers to a racetrack to learn car control. “Everybody needs to go to the racetrack to see what a car is capable of, even just to understand what happens if you get into a drift or a slide.”

• Matt Watson – Assume someone will be on the wrong side of the road. “Always expect someone to be on the wrong side of the road, especially around blind corners.”

• Nathan Wallis – Parents lead by example. “Adults set the emotional tone in the car. Stay calm – they’re learning from you, even before they start driving.”

• Dame Susan Devoy – Remove phone temptation. “I lock it in the console so I can’t use it.”

• Sir Peter Leitch – Block out distractions early on. “When you first get your licence, don’t even have the radio on. Just focus.”

• Art Green – Prioritise sleep – don’t let yourself get drowsy. “I would never let myself get to that point… sleep is my number one thing.”

• Paul Ego – Short naps and fresh air work. “Windows down, cold air in the face… five-minute nap. Bam. It works.”

AutoSense CEO Charles Dawson says the series aims to spark honest discussion about the human factors behind crash risk, particularly at a time when fatigue, distraction and poor decision-making create seasonal spikes in harm.

“New Zealanders will travel thousands of kilometres this summer, often on unfamiliar roads, with passengers on board and a lot on their minds. Even experienced drivers can lose focus. These stories highlight that simple steps – putting your phone out of reach, managing fatigue, staying calm with your children – can significantly reduce the likelihood of a crash.”

Dawson says the themes emerging from the series mirror the risk patterns seen across commercial fleets where distraction, inattention and fatigue continue to sit behind a large proportion of preventable incidents.

All episodes of In the Driver’s Seat with Greg Murphy are now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart or watch on YouTube. Highlights and bonus content are available via AutoSenseNZ on Instagram and Facebook.