The AA Research Foundation is urging a look at the driver licensing system in a bid to address New Zealand's “tragically high” youth road death toll.
As part of a study undertaken University of Adelaide’s Centre Automotive Safety Research, it benchmarked NZ's three-stage licence system against overseas schemes and identified measures used elsewhere that could lead to better outcomes for inexperienced drivers here.
According to the foundation, those aged 18 to 24 in New Zealand are nearly three times more likely to die on the roads than young Australians.
Ministry of Transport figures showed drivers under 25 were involved in nearly a third of the 337 fatal crashes in 2022.
AA Research Foundation manager Dylan Thomsen said driver licensing should be looked at as the Government aims to establish its priorities for the next three years in its road safety objectives document.
The Automobile Association is calling for changes to how we prepare novice drivers for our roads. (Source: Breakfast)
He said while “the current system is good” it could “be better with young people over-represented in crash data”.
“New Zealand could be doing more to prepare novice drivers, and we think licensing should be looked at as a key component of the upcoming road safety plan. We’re not saying it needs a total overhaul, but there’s no harm in looking for areas where we could do better.
“The licensing system is about making sure people are equipped with the skills and knowledge to be safe on the road and investigating potential ways to improve the scheme is a no-brainer."
“We know that access to supervisors and vehicles can be difficult for some, as can the cost of progressing through the licencing system, so potential changes would need to be considered from all angles. Maintaining a fair system that makes driving easily attainable to everyone needs to be balanced with an ambition to reduce road related harm and deaths.”
He said the study provided a good starting point on how the licensing system could be improved and New Zealand should be open to exploring different ideas that could improve skills and make roads safer.
Overseas approaches
The study highlighted some approaches to licensing overseas that could be used to strengthen the system here, the AA Research Foundation said.
The study found an extended period for learners would bring New Zealand closer to some states in Australia, which have a minimum period of 12 months on a learner licence.
Currently, New Zealand’s minimum period is six months.
Mandatory supervised driving hours were also suggested, as several countries “require learners to complete a number of supervised driving hours before being able to drive alone”.
The study pointed to “most” Australian and US states, which require “50 to 120 hours”, and said it helps drivers “gain experience under different conditions”.
“A past Swedish study showed novice drivers with 120 hours of supervised driving experience were involved in 35% fewer crashes than those with 40 to 50 hours.”
Hazard perception tests, which are used in Australia and the UK, are used to enhance young drivers’ abilities to “anticipate and react” to potential hazards. The tests looked at are taken in a safe environment such as using a simulator or video clips.
In New Zealand, only novice drivers under the age of 20 are subject to a zero blood alcohol limit. In Australia, there is a zero-alcohol limit in all states for learner and restricted drivers regardless of age.
The fifth suggestion from the study said tougher penalties for traffic offences could act as a deterrent against risky behaviour by novice drivers.
“In New Zealand all licence holders accumulate the same number of demerit points before losing their licence, but in Australia, novice drivers have a lower threshold, and any offences stay on their record for a longer period of time.
“Increasing the severity of penalties for traffic violations committed by novice drivers could act as a deterrent against risky behaviours,” the study said.
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