Young drivers may be 'phased in’

Press, 31 May 1986, Page 31

Young drivers may be 'phased in’

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

A report on the proposed graduated driverlicensing system, phasing in licences for young drivers, has been tabled in Parliament. Parliament’s fivemember Communications and Road Safety Select Committee had been studying the proposal since October, 1985. Concern about the high accident rate of young drivers had led the Ministry of Transport to reconsider the effectiveness of the driver licensing system and to search for alternatives, said the Under-Secretary for Transport, Mr Jeffries.

Statistics in the Ministry’s report had shown up the high accident risk of young drivers. The 15 to 19 age-group constituted about 14 per cent of the driving population, drove 8 per cent of the total annual mileage, yet comprised 27 per cent of all drivers involved in injury accidents.

Mr Jeffries said the risk was even greater for young motor-cyclists. A study quoted in the report showed that motor-cycling comprised 2.2 per. cent of all distance driven but accounted for 18.7 per cent of road-user casualties.

His committee refined the Ministry’s proposal in the light of public submissions.

The proposal now tar-

gets the at-risk age group aged 15 to 24 years by providing for a period to phase in young learners so that they can develop driving experience while being excluded from driving or riding in situations considered to be of high risk, such as driving at night, driving with other young passengers, and driving after consuming virtually any alcohol. The proposal would see any applicant after their fifteenth birthday taking an eyesight, hearing, and driving theory test. Passing these would entitle the driver to a learner permit, to drive, on public roads subject to four conditions.

The permit card must be carried while driving; the learner must be accompanied by a passenger who has held full licence for at least two years; severe alcohol limit restrictions; and the minimum duration of the permit be six months except under special conditions.

At the end of the learner permit stage, the learner may apply to take a road test and if successful be issued with a restricted licence.

Mr Jeffries said the report recommended this graduated licence system apply at first to only the high-risk age-group of 15 to 24 years.

The Ministry would be asked to monitor the scheme and if it proved successful in reducing ac-

cidents then extension of the graduated scheme to all learners would be considered, he said.