Practical courses loom for learner drivers

By SCOTT MacLEOD tansport reporter

Budding motorists may have to take approved driving lessons to get their licences if a proposal by Transport Minister Mark Gosche goes ahead.

At present, those wanting to drive can learn from anyone who has had a full licence for more than two years.

They can cut six months off the length of time they hold a restricted licence if they sit an approved driving course.

Mr Gosche said yesterday that he wanted to help save lives by having young motorists take driver courses, and hoped to test the idea by next year.

The suggestion comes as Parliament considers whether motorists should pay an extra $10 to $15 every 10 years to renew their licences.

Mr Gosche said he wanted more education on road safety for young drivers and for children, including "practical driver education."

He said his advisers did not like the idea of cutting the licensing timeframe as an incentive for doing such courses.

When asked if the courses should be compulsory, he said: "That is what would have to be considered. I'm thinking out loud to a degree about the possibility of trialing it, but I'm keen to follow it and want it in place by next year."

Mr Gosche's idea is hinted at in a consultation paper, Road Safety Strategy 2010, released last October.

It says drivers aged 15 to 19 are eight times as likely to crash as those aged 40 to 44, partly because of inexperience and risky driving.

It says the key to road safety is to make drivers know about risky situations and how to avoid them. It highlights "car craft," in which motorists are taught how to control their vehicles in an emergency, and "road craft," where they learn how to avoid emergencies.

Land Transport Safety Authority spokesman Craig Dowling said the courses had to be "reinforced" at regular intervals to be effective.

Three driving schools, in Auckland, Cambridge and Nelson, said they would charge between $100 and $120 for a basic course.

The president of the Institute of Driving Instructors, Kevin Bannan, said one problem with the present system was that there was no incentive to attend a defensive driving course while on a six-month learner's licence.

By the time young drivers moved on to a restricted licence and attended a course to cut the time before they got a full licence, they had already picked up bad habits.

When asked about the cost, Mr Bannan said: "What's a kid's life worth? Even a ding in a car won't get you much change out of $500."

The driving schools suggested that any compulsory course should focus on attitudes, identifying hazards, following distances, stopping distances and alcohol.

The managing director of PassRite Driving Academy, Fred Bardon, said it would be best not to teach "advanced stuff" such as techniques used by racing drivers because young drivers would be tempted to go beyond their abilities.

NZ Automobile spokesman George Fairbairn said his group backed the courses, which were in place in many countries.

"We have always supported some process of driver training by a qualified person, and not just relying on family and friends."

The most immediate issue for Mr Gosche is the plan to raise the cost of renewing a driver's licence.

He said there were "cost pressures" on the system, and he expected a decision within two weeks on what to do about it. Each licence cost $43 to process, but a taxpayer subsidy meant each driver was charged $29.50.

Mr Gosche said there were special recommendations for people such as bus drivers and elderly motorists who had to renew their licences every two years.

Another recommendation is to put a time limit of three to five years for people on a restricted licence. At present, they can stay in this category indefinitely.

The changes must be approved by a cabinet committee this week and the cabinet next week.

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