The AA has called for bold action to address youth road safety – including a mandatory 60 hours of supervised driving – as the Government prepares to announce final decisions on its planned changes.
The raft of proposed changes previously announced by Transport Minister Chris Bishop is set to be the biggest shake-up of the system in more than a decade. It includes dropping the full licence test, a reduction of demerit points, and a zero-alcohol limit for all drivers on their learner or restricted licence.
New Zealand has one of the worst youth road safety records in the developed world, with around 90 people under 25 dying and 600 seriously injured on our roads each year.
AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen said New Zealand’s young drivers were dying at a much higher rate than their Australian peers.
“A major reason is that our licensing system demands far less preparation and training than any other similar country.”
In most Australian states, learner drivers must log 100–120 hours of supervised practice over a 12-month period before progressing. New Zealand requires just six months on a learner licence and has no minimum practice hours.
While the AA supports some of the Government’s proposed changes, Thomsen said they do not go far enough.
“The AA is calling for a 12-month learner period and a minimum of 60 hours of supervised driving before progressing to a restricted licence. The 60 hours could be done under the supervision of a parent or other family member – but we think the system should include incentives to encourage more use of professional training.”
Final decision due
Bishop is expected to announce a final decision on licensing reforms in the coming weeks after consultation closed in June.
In its submission to the Ministry of Transport, the AA cited overseas examples where extending the learner period or introducing minimum practice hours led to crash reductions of 10–20%.
“If we saw just a 10% reduction in crashes where young drivers were at fault, that could mean nine fewer deaths, 60 fewer serious injuries, and hundreds of other crashes avoided every year,” Thomsen said.
Thomsen added that the AA have had several meetings with the Ministry of Transport and staff from Bishop’s office to urge the Government to make the outlined changes.
“The Government is due to make its final decisions on changes to our licence system late this month or early September, so we are really hoping that they are going to shortly announce some game-changing improvements to produce better prepared, safer young drivers.”
‘Easier and more efficient’
The Transport Minister said the Government wanted to make it “easier and more efficient” for people to go through the driver licensing system.
“We know there are around a million New Zealanders who don’t have a driver’s licence and about half of those people don’t have their full driver’s licence,” Bishop told 1News in April.
“They’re actually quite confident and competent drivers. It’s just the process of getting your full licence and sitting that second practical test.”
Removing cost barriers was a key reason for the proposed removal of the full licence test, he said.
“We know that it’s costly for people to go through the system, and also incredibly stressful and anxiety inducing for people sitting their second test, and so the aim is to remove that from the system.”
He believed the Government had struck the right balance between efficiency and road safety but welcomed feedback.
“I’m sure there will be a range of people out there, including the AA and other people who have a range of different views around how we implement this.”
