Latest News

New thresholds for restricted licence tests

From February 27 the restricted licence test will lengthen from 30 minutes to a 45 minute test. The test will also become more challenging - including minimum levels of traffic and multiple lane driving. These new thresholds were designed to encourage learner drivers to have 120 hours of supervised driving practice before they sit the test.

Why the need for change? The agency changed the tests after research showed that young drivers who completed 120 hours of supervised practice on their learner licence had a solo driving crash rate 40 percent lower than those who completed only 50 hours.

What the new test includes:

• Conducting a pre-departure vehicle safety check
• 45 minute practical on-road test made up of two stages
  • Stage 1 – 10 minutes of relatively simple driving tasks conducted in a less complex traffic environment
  • Stage 2 – 35 minutes designed to assess applicant’s ability to perform more challenging tasks in moderately challenging environments

Summer Cruising

When travelling in New Zealand over the summer holiday period reduce your stress by planning your journey, this includes checking out your route before you travel.

Listen out for live updates from your local radio station or log on to http://maps.aa.co.nz/traffic for traffic alerts, ferry and airport updates and estimated journey times to NZ destinations.

 To reduce your stress you could also:

• Leave before or after peak traffic times
• Consider taking an alternative route
• Share the driving and take regular breaks
• Allow a little extra time for your journey
• Keep the kids entertained with car games

Be a responsible host

When hosting Christmas parties ensure everyone enjoys themselves and that they return home safely to their families. The Waikato region has already been devastated by unnecessary deaths and injuries on our roads this year. Over the holiday season more families are likely to lose loved ones as a result of drink driving related crashes.

When hosting a party this holiday season -

• Serve substantial food and have non- alcoholic drinks available
• Keep an eye on everyone, especially young people
• Make sure your guests get home safely – arrange transport, ensure they have a sober driver or let them stay overnight

Even one drink makes you three times more likely to crash. Reduce the risk - don’t drink and drive.

Safe holiday driving tips

Getting ready for that summer holiday road trip?

It's a great time to think about the safety of you and your family by making sure that your car is road worthy.

Here are a few tips to help you get to your destination safely:

• Prepare your vehicle – check your tyre pressure and condition, fluid levels, lights, clean your windscreen. It’s a good time to give your vehicle a service before the start of summer
• Prepare yourself - be rested before a long drive, plan the trip so you share the driving and take regular breaks to minimise fatigue
• If you have children in the car ensure they are correctly restrained in an approved car seat
• Checkyour load security and trailer coupling locks when towing a boat, trailer or caravan

Tips for crash protection

• Adjust your seatbelt height so that it is comfortable
• Don’t sit too close to the steering wheel
• Adjust your headrest so that it supports your head
• Wear your seatbelt low on your pelvis and remove any slack
• Don’t rest your feet on the passenger airbag

Most recognisable car

The VW Beetle (1938-2003) is perhaps the most recognisable car ever designed. It has had wide appeal lasting for over six decades. The Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche after being commissioned by Hitler.

On the plus side the Beetle was light and mechanically durable. The Beetle’s also had some less endearing qualities – it was ghastly to drive and ride in (especially if you happened to be a back seat passenger).

Give me 5

Check out the new campaign for truckies which was launched today by the Waikato Regional Road Safety Education Group. This campaign encourages truck drivers to carry out a thorough inspection of their vehicles before they commence driving. This inspection has been narrowed down to a 5 point check for truckies, hence the ‘Give me 5’ tagline.

The 5 top items to check are-

• Load security
• Tyres and wheels
• General connections
• Fluid levels
• Lights

Performing these checks will help to ensure that the vehicle is safe to operate and could also lead to: less unexpected breakdowns, a reduction in crashes caused by vehicle faults and long term savings for businesses. To find out more just click on the ‘Heavy Vehicle’ or resources tab at the top of this page.

Driving for the Cup

Around 95,000 overseas visitors will be in New Zealand for the duration of the Rugby World Cup, which will mean extra traffic on our roads.

Tourists may not be familiar with our roads so we need to show a bit of tolerance and kiwi courtesy. Here are a few simple driving tips for keeping safe over this period -

• Allow extra time to travel as your trip may take a little longer
• Maintain appropriate following distances
• Plan your journey and allow for a break every 2 hours
• Keep an eye out for pedestrians as many will be used to looking left (not right) before crossing a road

Waikato Regional Education Group

Did you know that every year one in four work vehicles will be involved in a crash?

How can you help to minimise this risk?

When you are purchasing new company vehicles, ensure you take the safety ratings of the vehicle into account. It is recommended that businesses buy vehicles that have a four-star minimum ANCAP (Australian New Car Assessment Programme) crash safety rating.

Check out our latest resource for company fleet managers, by clicking on the Company Vehicles tab at the top of this page. It provides useful links so that you can make informed vehicle selection choices.

Make the right decision when purchasing a fleet vehicle, it could save a life.

Driven

• One of the most dangerous moves you can make in your vehicle is a right-hand turn at a non-signposted intersection.

• When turning right you need to look in all directions to make sure that the move can be completed safely. A handy tip is to look right, then left and then right again, and if you are totally confident that you can make the move, do it.

• When you are turning left there is less traffic to check and the risk of a side impact crash is lower. Statistics show it’s safer to make a left turn than a right. So another solution could be to try to take more left turns on your daily journeys.

Chris Cairns Foundation

A new nationwide awareness campaign is being launched today for National Rail Safety Week. Rail safety campaigner Chris Cairns says the onus is always on motorists and pedestrians to give way to trains, and that everyone must obey the warning signs at level crossings. “Trains can’t stop in a hurry and they certainly can’t swerve to avoid a car or a person on the tracks.”

In the past 12 months there have been 16 vehicle collisions at public level crossings with one fatality. During this same period there were almost 150 near collisions reported by locomotive engineers.

The campaign is promoting simple steps to keep yourself safe around trains, rail tracks and level crossings –

• Look and listen for trains at level crossings
• Obey the signs, barriers and other safety measures
• Avoid queuing across level crossings
• Stay clear, stay safe

Waikato Regional Education Group

Do your employees drive company vehicles?

Do your employees start early to meet deadlines?

Of course they do, that’s a credit to you as a manager. Long days, late nights, big meetings we expect a lot from our employees it’s all part of being successful – but being successful shouldn’t cost lives.

How can you minimise the risk? Encourage your employees to manage their time, appointments and trips effectively and ensure you have a safe driving policy in place.

Check out our latest resource for company fleet managers, by clicking on the Company Vehicles tab at the top of this page. It will provide information on how to put together a policy that works.

Zero tolerance

From 7 August the new blood alcohol limit for drivers under 20 will be zero. This is one of the new measures being introduced to improve young driver safety in New Zealand. This change recognises that even small amounts of alcohol can impair driving, particularly for young drivers, and sends a clear message that drinking and driving do not mix.

What will happen if a young driver is found to have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) between zero and 0.03?

The driver will receive an infringement notice and an infringement fee of $200 as well as 50 driver demerit points.

Would a zero limit mean that someone could fail a breath test because of substances like mouth wash that contain small amounts of alcohol?

Testing devices have been calibrated so that substances like mouth wash do not produce a positive result.

Minimum driving age now 16

From August the minimum driving age will increase from 15 to 16 years of age. 16 will now be the minimum age for obtaining a Learner driver licence. This change applies to obtaining a class 1 (car) and a class 6 (motorcycle) licence. New minimum ages for obtaining restricted and full licences will also apply.

For further information on changes to the minimum driving age check out the link below – www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/photo/gdls-changing.html

Unusual Names

Have you ever owned a car with an unusual name? Check out the list below for some of the more unusual names -

• Honda – Joy Machine
• Mazda – Bongo
• Porsche – Cayenne
• Suzuki – Cappuccino
• Mitsubishi – Canter Guts
• Honda – Mysterious Utility
• Daihatsu – Move
• Mitsubishi – Super Great FP-R Ultra-Economical Motorway Tractor

Safe Teen Driver

Road crashes are the single biggest killer of teen drivers aged between 15-19 years. The NZ Transport Agency figures show kiwi teens are more at risk of a serious crash in the first 6 to 12 months of driving solo on a Restricted licence, than at any other time. Passing the test is only a milestone on their journey towards independence.

 As a parent how can you help your restricted driver?

1. Stay involved
2. Support your teen driver
3. Teach mental skills as well as practical skills
4. Plan your journeys
5. Access practical advice and free tools via a new website www.safeteendriver.co.nz

Pedestrian Friendly Cars

Vehicle manufacturers are investigating ways to stop pedestrians being hurt if they are hit by a car. Many leading vehicle brands are offering electronic systems designed to eliminate any contact with pedestrians.

Pedestrian detection systems include –

• Radar sensors combined with a camera which identifies pedestrians in potential impact situations and applies the brakes
• Thermal imaging cameras that can detect the shape of humans before a driver can see them
• Dashboard warning systems with an audible warning sounding upon danger of impact

Dandelion Juice

Ford is looking in to the potential of using the milky-white substance from dandelion roots as a sustainable resource for rubber. As synthetic rubber is not a sustainable resource, dandelions have the potential to serve as a great natural alternative to synthetic rubber.

It could be used in plastic parts in Ford vehicles for items such as –

• Cup holders
• Floor mats
• Interior trim

Some Roading Firsts

• Car licence plates first appeared in France in 1893
• December 10, 1868 - the corner of Bridge Street and New Palace Yard, in London, was the site for the first cast iron traffic light
• The first road sign ever erected was for cyclists! Installed in Britain in 1879 the sign said – ‘To cyclists – this hill is dangerous’
• 1896 was the first time a motoring fatality was recorded

Decade of Action for Road Safety

• Everyday 3,200 people die in road crashes – this total is equivalent to 8 fully laden jumbo jets.
• Yearly road crashes claim the lives of 1.3 million people and injure 50 million people globally.
• Road crashes are the leading cause of death for children and young people worldwide.
• The United Nations and WHO have called for a Decade of Action for Road Safety.
• New Zealand will be the first nation in the world to launch the start of this global action to reduce projected road deaths and injuries by 2020.
• The Decade of Action calls for a Safe System approach to road safety. New Zealand is taking this fundamentally different approach through its road safety strategy - Safer Journeys. It means working across the whole road system with actions for safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe road use.

That bridal car

The Aston Martin the royal newly-weds, William and Kate, used was older than the couple themselves.

The 1969 DB6 has been in Prince Charles’ garage since it was received as a 21^st birthday present from his mother – The Queen.

Charles’ Aston uses new age fuel – the engine was converted by Aston Martin in 2008. It runs on 100% bio ethanol fuel distilled from surplus British wine. The exhaust might be clean but this DB6 only manages 28 litres per 100km!

Driver licence age up to 16 from August 2011

Under a bill passed unanimously by Parliament this week the following provisions apply-

• Raising the minimum driving age from 15 to 16 on August 1^st
• Provision for strengthening of the restricted test
• Lowering the drink-drive limit to zero for all drivers under 20
• Repeat drink-drivers will be subject to a zero limit for three years after they get their licence back
• Doubling the maximum sentence for dangerous driving causing death from 5 years to 10 years.

Keep it 10 below

Hey check out our new resource for truckies which was launched this month by the Waikato Regional Education Group. This is the first component in a series of three campaigns as part of our Heavy Vehicle Strategy. ‘Keep it 10 below’ is a reminder for truck drivers to travel 10 km under the speed advertised at advisory corners. Many truck crashes on bends could have been avoided by heeding this simple advice. This campaign seeks to encourage truck drivers to go 10 km/h under any recommended speed through corners and reduce the risk of being involved in a roll over or loss of control crash. For further information click on the Heavy Vehicle tab at the top of this page.

Drive to save fuel and be safer in the bargain

With fuel prices rising, and likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future, we have to work every day to reduce our fuel costs. Everyday driving behaviour can have a significant impact on running costs. You can increase your fuel efficiency by driving in a more ‘eco-friendly’ manner – smoothly, steadily and at a slower speed. Savings can also be made by planning your route, ensuring tyres are at the correct pressure, removing unneeded excess load and regularly servicing your vehicle. The techniques you use to save fuel can also make you a safer driver. A 5% reduction in your speed is equal to a 10% decrease in crashes.