Yep just like most things. Refusing to take a candidate for a driving test and making them rebook and pay for another test all because the test car has shown up with a blown tail light bulb even though the test is being conducted in daylight is Govt rubber stamped extortion, something that seems to be tolerated more and more by the public. If this is such a big safety issue why are the Police not more thoroughly examining this at checkpoints in conjunction with the WoF system given the sheer amount of cars you see on the road with defective lighting? Its utter hypocrisy.
saxman99,
Dec 28, 5:33am
On a Semi-related note to some of the above regarding older drivers;
In the early 40s my Grandad aged about 17 I guess decided he should get a drivers license. So he took the old farm truck 30 miles over gravel tracks to the nearest police station and applied to the officer there.
“Address?”
“Black stump. “
“That’s 30 miles away, how’d you get here?”
“Drove”
“On your own?”
“Yeah”.
“In what?”
“That old truck there”
“Well you must be able to drive then, give us 2 bob and I’ll give you a licence.”
That was the one and only test he ever did.
marte,
Dec 28, 1:56pm
1, I can't believe that we allow people who are in the process of 'Learning how to drive' drive on our roads. 2, that we allow people who were taught how to drive by their mothers, who learnt how to drive from their mothers, who learnt how to drive in a Horse & cart, teach people 'How to drive' a 121 hp vehicle, on the open road, with no pretraining at all. 3, That somebody can be on a learners licence, or restricted licensed, for years. 4, that we allow drunk driving on our roads, and that a blood/alcohol amount over, but up to a certain limit is a simple fine + demerits. 5, how many people don't understand that in NZ, we ( are supposed to ) drive on the left hand side of the road. 6, how many people drive with a headlight bulb, or tailight/brake light bulb not working, at night time. And drive during the day with their headlights on.
After edit , #19, father did the same thing in '67. But it was a Scammell tank retriever, top speed 24 mph.
bill-robinson,
Dec 28, 6:17pm
a lot of the problems that i see are due to people getting a license and thinking that is it. they should be trying to improve their driving standard each time they get in a car.
martin11,
Dec 28, 6:50pm
Candidate turned up with a car not up to warrent of fitness standards , Instant fail .
gblack,
Dec 28, 7:19pm
I passed my license back in the day in a small NZ town that didn't even have a traffic light.
Months later arrived in Auckland and had to merge onto motorways and navigate the Penrose roundabout. My kids on the otherhand have grown up on Auckland and passed the much tougher testing to get there licenses but have never driven on gravel roads or experienced driving in snow.
Given how good driving simulators (like Gran Turismo) are these days, really surprised that NZTA or somebody has not invested in coming up with a VR driving simulator. People (including those newly arrived in NZ) could spend time doing a VR drive around NZ roads including unusual or complex intersections, one way bridges, bad weather etc. and have the system mark them as well as seeing how well they react to random events like a log falling off a truck ahead of them
justinian1,
Dec 28, 7:51pm
It varies by place as before 1925 it was governed by local authority bylaws. In 1924 in Tauranga private drivers had to do an annual practical driving test. Early on most practical tests were for professional drivers rather than private ones.
From 1925 there was a national requirement for a driving test, but there were complaints the quality was inconsistent and it varied too much by local area.
In 1931 this was tightened up and the testing covered eyesight and hearing tests, knowledge of traffic law and driving signals, a practical driving test, the ability to make minor adjustments and repairs, and a general knowledge of the topography and streets of the district.
bryalea,
Dec 28, 9:05pm
Then of course there are drivers that never had a license to start with. Just get in a car and drive. Worked with a girl once in her 40's and she drove, but never had a license. So really for non-licensed drivers there needs to be a course of action with training.
tweake,
Dec 28, 9:52pm
story from my farther when he got his. drove the cop around the block. "how far away is that stop sign?" "100 yards". "what licence do you want?" "all of them" he got everything up to tracked vehicles.
tweake,
Dec 28, 10:00pm
this is one of the big issues. the harder they make the testing, the more people don't bother training and do not bother with a licence. this is why they really need to make driver training free and part of school.
even for me, first driving lesson was free at school. all other driving lessons i paid for with money from my school holiday job. never got taught by my parents. my first job out of school i had to drive 5 different vehicles, often on one of the countries most dangerous roads.
tweake,
Dec 28, 10:02pm
you have to remember that driving to most people is a chore. they have no interest in it. as long as they get to where they want, they don't care.
bill-robinson,
Dec 29, 12:04am
and that is the problem.
nzmax,
Dec 29, 1:10am
Possibly a refresher practical test for everyone every 5 - 10 years or so might be a better option, leading to people at least picking up a Roadcode book regularly unlike now. Lifetime licence stays as it is, but if you miss the test, licence suspended immediately, or if you fail, you have X number days/weeks to pass a retest. I agree that those that have had their licence for years, including myself, may have forgotten some rules, or not kept up to date with current rules or even just got into bad habits. Even the most basic road rules round town seem to have been forgotten by many. orange/red lights, stop signs, merging, indicating etc, and after a drive on the open road yesterday, one I noticed alot was lack of keeping as far left as practicable. why the incessant need for numerous drivers to drive as close to the centre line as possible for the entirety of their trip? Cons. cost, time, some people will revert back to their old habits after passing, apathy. Pros. some might actually learn some updated rules, or shock them with the rules they have forgotten or dont use, and continue to use them leading to a slight lift in driver awareness. Maybe harsher fines for breaking the most basic of road rules, and actually having those rules policed, as it would seem they arent these days. Im sure there is more than one suggestion, or combination of suggestions that would make a difference in the long run.
tweake,
Dec 29, 1:48am
i agree with most of that. one of the big issues is simply having rules policed. the underfunded under resourced police simply don't do real traffic policing.
failing to keep left is normally a beginner driver issue. however i'm told lane departure systems can make you drive in the centre rather than to the left.
marte,
Dec 29, 4:22am
That 'keeping left, merging, turning, indicating' etc etc is all from not being taught properly in the first place. Even backing into a parallel car park, some people think this is weird, but, forklifts have their steering wheels on the rear for a reason. It all comes from my 'Learnt to drive in a horse & cart' theory.
For instance, you drive close to the left of the centreline. Not with 2 wheels in the gutter. Turning left, and nobody does this at all. Nobody. You indicate for at least 3 seconds, pull over to the left without slowing down enough to make the car behind slow at all, then brake & then turn. Most people indicate & brake at the same time, slowing the car behind, then do a huge veer from the driving lane, across the turning lane, and into the driveway or side street.
Coming up to a red light where there's two lane forwards, the left lanes got a left turn & straight ahead arrow on it. The right hand lanes got a straight ahead and a right turn arrow on it. And people drive up in the right hand lane & stop there, while the correct house left hand lane ( we drive on the left! ) Is empty. And then 6 other cars stop behind that car. So the 8th car, knowing that all the cars in the right hand turning lane, are turning right, drives up in the left hand straight ahead lane & stops at the line. And as soon as the light changes to red, 7 cars try to cut that car off in a race to the single lane on the other side of the intersection.
Driving with headlights on during the day. Enough said.
nzmax,
Dec 29, 5:29am
I guess that is another one of the problems. since no real traffic policing is being done, people know they can get away with not stopping at stop signs, red lights and chatting/texting on their cell phone while driving, and once you repeat anything enough times, it becomes habit.
Also, do we rely too much on car gadgetry like lane assist etc and is that gadgetry making us worse drivers?
tweake,
Dec 29, 6:45am
absolutely. thats exactly what happens. then one day they are a bit tired and by habit they run the red, cut the corner etc and its a big nasty accident.
the gadgetry is interesting. i don't have lane assist so can't comment on that. but certainly traction control and abs. i do find it handy, traction control certainly reacts faster than i can. but it can lead to false sense of security if you do not notice its kicking in all the time. some of them make loud noises which is really annoying but helps stop that issue. reminds me of the holdens(?) that would reduce engine power permanently if your constantly on the traction control. a lot of complaints from their customers having to go get their cars reset.
marte,
Dec 29, 9:54am
Issuing tickets for no headlights or twilights at night is self funding. Same for bad driving during the day. While I see a average of 10% of cars not compliant on lights at night, I have only ever seen one that# been stopped by the police.
But I have been stopped for lots of things, changing lanes, doing a 'U' turn on a side road, using my window wipers, never got a ticket for that.
martin11,
Dec 29, 6:37pm
A lot of countries that is law and also a lot of Euro Cars with their lights on Auto do it . Much easier for seeing vehicles also .
marmar1,
Dec 29, 6:57pm
I treat everyone as a bad driver and drive accordingly.
bill-robinson,
Dec 29, 8:35pm
from what i have seen. people are taught to pass a test to operate a motor vehicle to a minimum standard and if they a reasonable capable they are given a bit of plastic. after operating a car 3 or 4 times on their own they know all there is about driving and vehicle dynamics and that is it for the rest of their life. i also get the impression that all the socalled driver aids are now classified as safety features and uprate the number of stars for crash ratings. this, i think goes hand in hand with the dumbing of society. so welcome to shepsicles on a road near you.
hkjoe,
Dec 30, 5:17am
Shit roads, really?
hkjoe,
Dec 30, 5:18am
Shit drivers, really?
two9s,
Dec 30, 7:24pm
Yep, steerers, not drivers really. Far too easily sidetracked, and not interested in expending the energy to drive defensively. You know, treat all other road users as out to kill you. Read the road, read the oncoming drivers, check all side roads, check the mirrors, look for escape points, repeat . repeat, repeat.
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