AA risks demand a harder test

Wairarapa parents are writing formal complaints after young drivers have failed their full driving tests for "ridiculous" reasons, while the AA has defended the harder test.

Since an article appeared in the Times-Age outlining a mother's concerns of young learners being failed for minor reasons, more parents have come forward with their own experiences about failed tests.

But Karen Dickson, national manager AA driver testing, felt parents may not understand the need for harder tests.

She said the risks in driving have increased over the last decade or so.

"As a mum myself, I would have hated to get a white cross when my son was learning to drive."

Mrs Dickson said people often have not had sufficient practice before taking the test or do not take enough time to make choices while driving.

Eketahuna's Janice Dagg intends to write a complaint to New Zealand Driver Licensing after her son's experience.

"The first time he sat the test, after taking time off work, he was five minutes late due to roadworks, so the instructor refused to take him home. On the second time he got to a stop sign and was shouted at, making it impossible for him to go on.

"The third time he went through road works at roundabout, through a 30km/h zone, and the instructor lent over and said he was going 40km/h after he was well out of the 30km/h zone and following other cars at same speed.

"Why can't instructors just point out these trivial little misdemeanours. He's had his restricted for over two years now and drives all over the Wairarapa and he's very responsible on the road. He must have spent well over $300 by now," she said.

"These instructors are making our young ones drive illegally surely and robbing them of their hard earned money. [It] does make us wonder what's going on with the system in Masterton."

Masterton's Finlay Sutherland said his grandson has to re-sit his test in Masterton for the third time.

In the first test he was failed for spending too long at an intersection.

During the second test, he was failed for moving off an intersection too fast within the first five minutes but was not informed and made to finish the test which saw him drive as far as Clareville.

Mr Sutherland said the family was appealing the fail.

"He wasn't the only one that was ridiculously turned down," he said.