Eric Thompson: Drivers need new lessons

A lack of driver education, coupled with powerful vehicles, can be a dangerous combination. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Finally, after a number of years of this column harping on about the poor driving standards of young, and at times not so young, New Zealand drivers, it looks like mainstream television has finally woken up.

I would like to claim it was a recent article from these pages that spurred Campbell Live to do a small feature on driver skills, but probably not. However the programme missed the point - like most.

I've banged the drum for years about the standard of driving in New Zealand, and as far as I can see, it's getting worse by the year. If government agencies, local and regional councils, council officials and even mayors want to reduce the number of deaths on the road, teach people to drive rather than concentrate on making cars safer.

And while they're at it, raise the age you can get a licence. It was okay back in the 60s and 70s to get a driver's licence at 15 when a traffic jam consisted of two cars at an intersection.

What Campbell Live was going on about was how all cars should have as many driver aids as possible to "save" people from hurting themselves and others.

If you let the car make all the decisions, people will drive faster and faster, getting a false impression of their own driving skills and thinking the car will save them. And if something does go wrong they won't be able to get themselves out of trouble and they may become another statistic.

As for banning high-performance cars - what a load of twaddle.

If you put a loaded gun on a table in a bar and nobody picks it up and plays with it, it won't kill anyone. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. So, to modify the phrase a bit - cars don't have accidents, drivers have accidents. If the powers to be do not realise it's the fool behind the wheel doing foolish things that causes grief, you'll never reduce the road toll.

Another possible option would be to not to ban fast cars, but to put a cap on the horsepower a learner driver can be in control of. And after 18 months of an accident-free run, let them reapply for a full licence that will allow them to buy whatever they want.

If in the 18 months the learner gets so much as a speeding ticket, let alone causes an accident, they have to start the 18 months all over again. Before anyone's blood pressure starts to rise, if the learner driver, while minding their own business, is T-boned by someone else's' idiot driving style, of course the re-start rule doesn't apply.

Instead of "ban the car" knee-jerk reactions, it's better to educate and manage the problem. And on that note, here are some tips on how to stay out of trouble when driving in winter.

TYRES

People tend to forget that the tyres, and only the tyres, are the things that keep the car on the road. Not the leather interior, the big fat V8 under the bonnet, the stereo or the mag wheels.

If the tyres are worn and the tread depth is below 2mm, they lose their ability to pump water away from the road surface and will aquaplane, resulting in a complete loss of steering. Check tyres for wear and pressure to ensure maximum grip.

DRIVER'S VISIBILITY

If you can't see where you're going, you're bound to hit something. Modern technology has bought with it more efficient windshield wipers and better de-misters.

The wiper blades have to be good enough to remove water without streaking. Remember to put screen wash in the washer tank to remove road grime build-up.

Clean your windscreen after a car wash as the wax causes the water to bubble up and smear.

Clean the inside of the screen to remove any film that may cause bad reflections or distortions as you drive. Cleaning the inside of the windshield is particularly critical.

CAR'S VISIBILITY

If you can see the other car but he can't see you, you're still in a lot of trouble.

One of the most important factors in safe wet-weather driving is being seen by other drivers, so turn on your low-beam headlights when it rains, even during the daytime.

In a really heavy downpour, when you've either pulled over or are doing less than 20km/h, it might be an idea to put the hazard lights on.

However, Land Transport New Zealand states that hazard lights should only be used to indicate a temporary hazard to traffic: your vehicle has broken down and you're awaiting assistance.

DRIVING

Look around you when driving and take note of the conditions and what other drivers are doing. Just because some fool is still doing 120km/h in the rain doesn't mean you have to.

Give yourself more room from the car in front so you can stop and stay out of the mist and rain thrown up from them.

At night, use your low-beam headlights to avoid glare from the raindrops. Remember: high beams do not help visibility in the rain.

Even new tyres can aquaplane in the wet so watch your speed. If the steering begins to feel light as you go through a deep puddle, gently reduce your speed to regain control. Don't panic by doing something abrupt that will upset the balance of the car.

Never drive through deep water as it's impossible to tell how deep it is from inside the car.

If you do manage to get through, test the brakes before going too fast.

Don't forget the windscreen wipers have two speeds so use the higher speed in heavy rain.

Be prepared to lose visibility momentarily when passing a truck or encountering one coming the other way.

Light rain after a long dry spell will bring oil and dust to surface of the road, making it a skating rink - so slow down until you can gauge the grip level.

BE SAFE

The biggest factor with safe wet-weather driving is you and your judgment. When visibility drops and roads flood, only you can tell when it's time to pull off and take a break.

It's better to take longer to get to where you're going than not to turn up at all.