Bay of Plenty drivers passing licence tests more often

Look out: you might be seeing more of these on the road. Photo/File

More of our young drivers are passing their licence tests - and they're better than their peers around the rest of the country.

New Zealand Transport Agency statistics show the rate of Bay of Plenty 16-to-24-year-olds passing Class 1 (car) licence tests has increased at all three levels - learner, restricted and full - during the past five years.

More than 75 per cent of learner tests taken in 2016 resulted in a pass, up from 61 per cent in 2012.

Restricted passes rose from 61 to 65 per cent between 2012 and 2016, and the pass rate for full licences increased from 73 per cent to more than 80.

Both the restricted and full rates were above the national averages of 62 and 77 per cent respectively, and the learner pass rate was about the same.

The percentages were the total number of tests passed as a percentage of total completed tests.

Source: NZTA

Ken Carter, owner of Tauranga's A1 Driver Training, said he had expected pass rates to increase.

"I used to get 50-50 pass-fail, but it's certainly gone up a lot more in the last 12 months, to about 70 or 80 per cent," Mr Carter said.

"The kids I get through my business, they listen. Those that don't fail straight away."

He said professional instructors had specific knowledge about what to do and not to do during the test, which gave the student a better chance at passing.

However, he said, nothing was better than practise, practise, practise.

"Repetition is very good. You don't want to do any less than two driving lessons a week."

Automobile Association general manager of driver training Roger Venn said he believed pass rates had increased in part due to a growing use of professional instructors, rather than relying on Mum or Dad.

"The way we used to learn, with parents, grandparents, siblings - there's a general realisation that we don't have the skill sets to get our young drivers not only just through the test but to [learn to] drive safely."

He said in parts of Europe and the United States, drivers had to have a certain number of hours with a professional instructor to get a licence.

He also said pass rates were low in New Zealand compared with other OECD countries, and therefore increases weren't unexpected.

However, just because drivers have their licence doesn't mean they should stop educating themselves, he said.

"I would encourage all young drivers, and their parents, to concentrate on maybe taking some additional training, and the defensive driving course is a great course for that.

"People need to take a responsibility for their actions. It's the most dangerous thing you're going to do every day pretty much, and people are so blase [about it]."

The New Zealand Transport Agency's road safety director, Harry Wilson, said it was difficult to draw any conclusions comparing different regions' pass rates.

"The best determinant of whether an applicant will pass or fail is their preparation. The drive.govt.nz website is a key tool to help people get ready for their driving test.

"Ultimately we want to ensure that everyone gaining a licence has the skills and knowledge to be a safe and competent driver."