Does our driver licensing system need to change?

Getting a driver licence is a rite of passage that offers mobility and independence, opens doors to work, education and recreation, and helps people connect. But New Zealanders’ eagerness to get behind the wheel also comes at a cost – one of the highest rates of road death in the developed world.

This year the Government proposed the first significant changes to the licensing system since 2011, aiming to make the system “more accessible, efficient and affordable,” according to Transport Minister Chris Bishop.

Currently, to progress though the Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) learners need to pass through three stages:

• Learner Licence: Gained following a written test, allowing a person to drive under supervision.
• Restricted Licence: Gained following a driving test, allowing a person to drive unaccompanied between certain hours and without passengers (unless the passenger meets the criteria of a dependent spouse).
• Full Licence: Gained following a driving test, allowing a person to drive without restricted licence conditions.

The biggest proposed change to this system is the removal of the full licence test. Instead, restricted drivers would automatically gain their full licence after a period without committing any driving offences. This would remove the $98.90 cost to book and sit a full licence test; it currently costs a minimum of $362.50 to progress though the GDLS.

Several other proposed changes also aim to promote safer behaviour by increasing consequences for breaking the rules on a learner or restricted licence. These include a zero-alcohol limit until a full licence is obtained, halving the demerit points needed to have a licence suspended and extending the restricted licence period if a driver is caught offending. 

Another proposed change is a reduction in the number of eye tests required.

AA road safety spokesman Dylan Thomsen says there is merit in several of the proposed policies, particularly those focused on creating better prepared and safer drivers, but they don’t go far enough.

The AA believes three key amendments need to be added to the Government’s proposed changes:

• Increase the learner period from six to 12 months to allow people to gain more experience under supervision before driving solo.
• Require a minimum of 60 recorded hours practice on a learner licence – a model that is widely used overseas. An AA Research Foundation study has found half of drivers under 25 had less than 40 hours experience, while 17% said they’d done less than 15 hours before sitting the restricted test.
• Incentivise professional training by accelerating progress through a logged hours system – i.e. crediting two or three hours for a one-hour professional lesson. The expert guidance and structured sessions help drivers develop better skills, knowledge and habits.      

These measures were identified by a recent AA Research Foundation study as being used in many other countries and having strong evidence of reducing crash rates.

New Zealand is one of the only countries that requires a second driving test to achieve a full licence, however the AA notes other countries impose tougher restrictions on their novice drivers.

If the full licence test was to be removed, a focus on building competency in other parts of the system would be needed.

The AA is supportive of the proposal to introduce a zero-alcohol limit for all novice drivers, as well as tighter rules to encourage restricted drivers to keep a clean driving record, Dylan says.  

“Alcohol plays a significant part in deaths and serious injuries on our roads, so a zero-alcohol limit during the earlier licensing stages is a no-brainer.

“Breaking basic road rules reflects a culture where learning to drive isn’t being treated with the seriousness it should be, so we’re also supportive of a lower demerit threshold and extending the licence period for law breakers.”

It has been 14 years since substantial changes were made to the licencing system. This is a rare chance to change New Zealand’s driving culture by adjusting the licensing system to produce safer drivers that are better prepared for the road, Dylan says.