More time behind the wheel rather than physical age is the most important thing for improving the safety of learner drivers, says the AA.

While the learner licence age increasing from 15 to 16 on August 1 is likely to bring about a slight improvement in the crash rates of young drivers, international evidence indicates it is the amount of supervised training that matters most.

Results from Sweden suggest drivers who have completed 120 hours of supervised driving practice before driving solo may be involved in up to 40 per cent less crashes than drivers who have completed less than 50 hours – the top end of the hours New Zealand learners are currently estimated to do.

“The AA supports moves to improve the safety of our young drivers but we are concerned parents may now mistakenly think their kids will now be completely safe simply because the learner age has increased,” says AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon.

“Regardless of their age, the highest crash risk period for all drivers is the first six months after they start driving on their own and the best way to lower that risk is through more supervised driving experience.

“The best thing parents can do when their teenager is learning to drive is ensure they clock up 120 hours or more in all driving conditions under the eye of a supervisor before going solo.”

New Zealand transport authorities recommend learners complete 120 hours of supervised practice before driving solo, and the restricted licence test is set to be made harder to encourage this, but with drivers still able to sit for their restricted licence after six months, the AA believes many will still be well short of the target.

It would take about 40 minutes supervised practice each day to achieve 120 hours in six months, which is why the AA would like to see the minimum learner licence period extended from 6 to 12 months.

In the meantime, the AA encourages parents to judge when their child is ready to go for their restricted licence by how many hours supervised practice they have done instead of how many months they have been a learner.

It is also just as important that parents don’t consider their job done once their children become able to drive on their own.

Statistics show that young men first starting out on their restricted licences are seven times more likely to have a crash than men aged 45-49 and young women are six times more likely than woman aged 45-49.

“By staying involved, especially in the first six months after a driver gets their restricted licence, parents could have a life-saving impact. The www.safeteendriver.co.nz website and the AA’s Going Solo brochure provide some great resources parents can use to help their kids develop safe driving habits,” says Mr Noon.

“We can’t continue to accept the disproportionate number of our young people being killed and seriously injured on our roads,” says Mr Noon.

In another change targeting the safety of young drivers, a zero blood-alcohol limit for drivers under 20 will also come into effect on August 7, a move endorsed by the AA.

The following statistics highlight why improving road safety for our young people is so important:

• Road crashes are the single greatest killer of 15-24 year olds in New Zealand, and the leading cause of permanent injuries.
• Our 15-17 year olds have the highest road death rate in the OECD and 18-20 year olds the fourth highest.
• Our road fatality rate for young drivers is about 60 per cent worse than Australia.

For more information contact

Mike Noon
General Manager: Motoring Affairs
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 931 9984
M. +64 21 659 704
Email:  mnoon@aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.