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AA Driver Education Foundation

The AA Driver Education Foundation (AA DEF) is a non-profit organisation that works to improve driving standards in New Zealand.

It promotes initiatives that lead to the highest standards of safe driving behaviour and attitudes towards driving.

AA DEF initiatives

The AA DEF is involved in numeous projects to improve young driver education and safety, including:

Going Solo, which gives parents and novice drivers advice for how restricted licence holders can be safer
Governance of Students Against Driving Drunk
The Frontal Lobe Project, studying the effectiveness of high-level skills training on young drivers
The safer young drivers guide for New Zealand road safety educators

The AA DEF is working to improve the safety of older drivers through:

The CarFit programme that helps older drivers set-up their car so they are in the best position physically
Hosting a national seminar on older driver issues

The AA DEF is also involved in work-related driving and fleet management education and hosted a series of work-related road safety workshops with the theme, Creating a Crash-Free Culture.

AA DEF Board

Members of the AA DEF Board of Trustees have long experience as senior AA office holders and/or are recognised experts in New Zealand driver education or the motoring industry.

Mike Noon - Chairperson

Mike Noon is the AA's General Manager Motoring Affairs and leads the AA’s policy and advocacy team which works to enhance the safety of all road users, protect the freedom of choice and rights of road users and keep the cost of motoring fair and reasonable.

Jacqui Madelin - Executive member, NZ Motoring Writers' Guild

Jacqui Madelin represents the New Zealand Motoring Writers' Guild, which has about 40 members who contribute to printed, internet and broadcast media throughhout New Zealand, and beyond. The Guild provides a wide range of expertise and experience to AA DEF matters, and represents an opportunity to better channel driver education information into the specialist media.

Bob Maxwell JP - Past AA Board Member and National Councillor

Bob Maxwell served in Taranaki from August 1983 as District Commander, Traffic Safety Service, until the merger with New Zealand Police in 1992. He became Administration and Planning Inspector for the Taranaki District.

Graeme Nind - Past AA President

Former AA President Graeme Nind has a background in the health service which has illustrated both the human cost of needless road trauma and its continuing drain on the national health budget.

Peter Sheppard, BEM FCIT

Peter is one of NZ's leading experts in driver education and transport safety management. He has a wealth of experience in fleet safety management, driver education and fuel efficiency.