Since 1987, New Zealanders have learned to drive under a graduated driver licensing system (GDLS). Designed to develop safe habits among novice drivers, the three-stage approach to obtaining a full driver’s licence was an improvement on the older system which was shorter and less demanding of candidates. And while the current GDLS is considered effective, it’s not perfect.
Inexperienced drivers can be expected to make mistakes, occasionally with serious consequences. Young people aged 15-25 were involved in nearly 30% – 96 of 337 – of fatal crashes in New Zealand in 2022; they were thought to be responsible for 82 of them. These statistics raise questions about how we prepare new drivers, and how we compare with other countries.
The AA Research Foundation recently commissioned a study by the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR), which benchmarked New Zealand’s GDLS against overseas schemes. The study identified measures with beneficial outcomes for novice drivers that could be used to strengthen New Zealand’s licensing system.
Which areas of New Zealand's driver licensing system could be improved?
AA Communications, Research and Road Safety Manager Dylan Thomsen says the study is a useful starting point for finding licensing areas that might be improved.
“We know that New Zealand has more road deaths than many other countries and under 25-year-olds have the highest crash rates. This research highlights some of the approaches other countries take to new drivers getting a licence and asks if we could be doing things better.”
What overseas systems do differently:
Extended learner periods
Most Australian states have a minimum learner period of 12 months – double New Zealand’s – which gives novice drivers more time to accumulate supervised driving experience and develop safer practices.
Mandatory supervised driving hours
Several countries require learners to complete a certain number of supervised driving hours before being able to drive alone. Most Australian and US states require 50 to 120 hours (including night hours) which help drivers gain experience under different conditions. More time behind the wheel as a learner is acknowledged to improve a driver’s readiness for solo driving. A 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
These are a prerequisite for progressing from a learner to a restricted licence in several jurisdictions, including in Australia and the UK, to enhance new drivers' abilities to anticipate and react to potential hazards. The tests are undertaken in a safe environment such as a simulator or using video clips.
Zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits
In New Zealand only novice drivers under the age of 20 are subject to a zero BAC limit. There is a zero-alcohol limit in all Australian states for learner and restricted drivers regardless of age.
Tougher penalties for traffic offences
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 time period. Increasing the severity of penalties for traffic violations committed by novice drivers could act as a deterrent against risky behaviours.
Is it time for a rethink?
Before the end of the year the Government is due to set out its priorities for road safety for the next three years in its Road Safety Objectives Document. The AA believes the timing is right to run New Zealand’s licensing system under the microscope as a part of this process.
Learning to drive is the time to instill good driving habits to keep all road users safe.
Dylan says the study considers different ideas and approaches that are fundamentally about safety.
“The learner and restricted stages of the licensing system are the ideal time to instill practices and habits that will keep novice drivers and others safe on the road.”
Donna Govorko is the General Manager of Kaitiaki o Ara Students Against Dangerous Driving (SADD), a youth-centred charity that focuses on reducing harm on the road by promoting safe behaviour. She says staying on top of international best practice is vital to ensuring the safety of those going through the early stages of the licensing process.
“There’s no harm in potentially borrowing ideas from other systems that could enhance the skills and confidence of people driving on our roads.”
Donna and Dylan agree the overrepresentation of young people in crash data highlights the need to explore improvements for the licensing process.
Dylan says some of the methods identified in the AA Research Foundation study would make New Zealand’s GDLS more demanding. The benefits of changes would need to be reconciled with drawbacks such as drivers having a slower and more costly progression through the system.
“We know some people already struggle to get their licence – not everyone has someone who can teach them, or they might not have access to a roadworthy car. It can be tough, so potential changes would need to be considered from all angles,” he says.
“Maintaining a system that is fair and makes driving easily attainable to everyone needs to be balanced with an ambition to reduce harm and death on New Zealand’s roads.”
Story by Matt Tso for the Spring 2024 issue of AA Directions Magazine. Matt Tso is a Communications Advisor with the AA's Motoring Policy team in Wellington who regularly contributes to AA Directions magazine.
What do you think? Does New Zealand's driver licensing system need an overhaul?
Share your thoughts in a letter to the editor.
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