News
Two Give Way Rules are Changing
From 5 am on Sunday 25 March, all drivers will have two new give way rules to contend with. You can view the new rules on the GiveWay website.
Anyone who is learning to drive will be tested on the current rules up to 24 March, and the new rules from 25 March. The GiveWay website will have an online quiz, a video and general information about the changes in multiple languages.
The changes are:
- Change 1: The left-turn versus right-turn rule
- Change 2: At uncontrolled T-intersections (‘uncontrolled’ means when there are no signs or signals to tell you what to do)
A national advertising campaign will include television, print, online and radio from 15 March. A leaflet will also be dropped to 1.7 million households.
Restricted licence test is becoming more difficult
From 27 February 2012, the Restricted licence test will become more difficult to encourage around 120 hours of supervised driving practice in a range of conditions and situations. The minimum driving age also increased from 15 to 16 years from 1 August 2011.
Learner drivers will need to have done more supervised driving practice to pass the new Restricted test, with emphasis on skills such as hazard perception and risk management while assessing the traditional skills of vehicle control and driving in routine traffic situations.
RoadSmart Driver Training is here to help you. We offer a 5 lesson-10 practice session package for $775.00 in the RoadSmart training vehicles, or your own vehicle. This equates to about 20 hours professional driver tuition. The remaining 100 hours of practice required can be supervised by a parent or guardian in your own vehicle.
We recommend learner drivers keep a log in a notebook of your driving hours and distances so you can see how you are progressing.
More details can be found on the NZTA website under Licences, and questions on the News page.
Cellphone Use
Changes have been made to the Land Transport (Road User) Amendment Rule 2009 and the Land Transport Amendment Act 2009. These changes came into effect on 1 November 2009. The following is copied from the NZ Transport Agency website:
Cellphones - The official New Zealand road code, page 133
The following text replaces the information in the Cellphones section:
While you are driving, you cannot create, send, or read a text message on a mobile phone or use a hand-held mobile phone to make, receive or end a phone call. This includes accessing online services in any way.
You can, however, use your mobile phone to make, receive or terminate a telephone call while driving if the phone is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle and you manipulate the phone infrequently and briefly.
You can also use a mobile phone while driving to make a 111 or *555 call if it is unsafe or impractical to pull over and stop in a safe place at the side of the road to make the call.
Driver distraction - The official New Zealand road code, page 133
The following text replaces the third bullet point under Driver distractions:
"Talking on a hands free cellphone"
Where can I read more about this?
You can read this and other updates to the Road Code on the New Zealand Transport Agency website.
Proposed road safety and licensing changes
Safer Journeys Strategy
The Government has introduced its Safer Journeys strategy which includes a package of initiatives that will have the greatest impact on the road crash problem.
The Safer Journeys strategy will address four areas of high concern:
- increasing the safety of young drivers,
- reducing alcohol/drug impaired driving,
- safer roads and roadsides, and
- increasing the safety of motorcycling.
The Strategy will help to improve road safety and reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads.
How will this affect me?
Actions in the package are:
- raising the driving age to 16 - which took effect on 1 August 2011.
- making the restricted licence test more difficult to encourage 120 hours of supervised driving practice. This test changes to a 60 minute test while the full licence test drops to 30 minutes. The fees for these tests will also swap around. This takes effect on 27 February 2012.
- there will be a zero drink drive limit for drivers under 20 - from 7 August 2011.
- raising public awareness of young driver crash risk through a new campaign which was launched in June 2011.
- improving the road safety education available to parents and young people and increase access to it including a new website to explain the Graduated Licence System and the process involved.
- investigating vehicle power restrictions for young drivers.
- allowing approved courses (Defensive Driving and Street Talk) to be undertaken in the learner licence phase.
- changes to the ways motorcyclists can progress through the licensing system.