Learners need greater support

Learning to drive is a basic life skill that sets you on the road to independence.

Today is the first day of our new Licence to Drive series. In the next five days we'll investigate why youth are struggling to get licences and what our leaders are doing about it.

Hawke's Bay is facing a $20 million road crisis with more than 25,000 people not on the correct driver licence.

Tukituki Labour spokesperson Anna Lorck has raised the issue, saying it is a matter of public interest, it's time to put the numbers on the table and to come up with an action plan and recommendations.

"We need a regional approach to support a drive for change so it can become more accessible and affordable for people to get their full driver licence in Hawke's Bay," she said.

"Learning to drive is a basic life skill that sets you on the road to independence, but in Hawke's Bay, we are facing a $20 million economic and social challenge with an estimated 25,000 people stuck in the system.

"And I'm told it's getting worse, increasing by an average of more than 100 a month."

Tukituki MP and Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss was contacted for comment, but none was forthcoming by press time.

However, chairman of the Intersectoral Leadership Group (ILG) Lawrence Yule said they had already made this issue a priority, but there is not much the group could effectively achieve without government assistance.

He said if those figures were correct, it was a large number with a big cost: "And it does have a real impact on people's ability to get jobs and move on with their lives."

He said when they changed the laws to make getting a driver licence tougher it had the unintended consequence of becoming more expensive.

"We are having a negative impact on the employment opportunities for exactly those same people now," said Mr Yule.

"We will be discussing it tomorrow - we have made it a priority, we have put a lot of work and time into it."

Napier MP Stuart Nash said the Government should be putting money into this issue, to engage with young people and make sure that they do get their licence.

He said often there is a learning difficulty component - some people do not have the ability to sit the test.

"What happens is that these guys don't get their driver licence because a) they cant afford it or because b) there is a learning difficulty so they might be dyslexic or something so they cant do the test."

Mr Nash said this leads to the drivers getting fined, then disqualified and eventually they end up in jail.

"When really they are not there because they have committed a great crime but because they haven't the ability to sit a driving test," he said.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said it was an appalling situation to be in: "Some of the things Anna has highlighted are absolutely correct.

"I think it is an absolute nonsense - but the truth is we are attending to it.

"What needs to happen is the process needs to be sped up and the cost needs to be reduced."

Mr Dalton said one of the solutions being looked at by the ILG was driving simulators.

"I am not saying use them in place of experience on the road, but to take [people] to a certain level to speed the process up."

He said the Intersectoral Implementation Group under direction of the ILG, was looking at various solutions. The ILG will meet today.