Fewer now taking driving tests

Press, 13 September 1988, Page 6

Fewer now taking driving tests

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

The number of people taking driver’s licence tests in Christchurch has fallen 37 per cent since the introduction of the new graduated-licence system a year ago. Private driving schools have also had big falls in patronage, raising fears that some young people are driving without licences. Mrs Lois Eagle, of the Cashmere Driving School, and a former president of •the Institute of Driving Instructors, said that the new system was "such a hassle” that many just did not bother. "They know that the chances are pretty slim of getting picked up,” said Mrs Eagle. Traffic Superintendent Ray Hall confirmed that the number of tests conducted had fallen 37 per cent. “To what extent that is a problem of the new

system, or the general economy, I cannot speculate. “How much is caused by the more complex driver’s licence system I cannot say. It would certainly be a component, without a doubt,” said Mr Hall. He could not say, however, whether there were now more unlicenced drivers on the roads. There seemed to have been an increase in the number picked up, but comparative figures were not available. Mr Hall said that traffic officers detected about 100 unlicenced drivers a month in Christchurch, and another 100 driving with the wrong class of licence. Although Mr Hall said he believed that represented an increase, the corresponding figures for the time before the new system was introduced in August last year were not

available. The new system is three-tiered: a learner’s licence is issued after a theory test, and lasts six months when the learner may drive only under instruction from a licenced driver in the car; a restricted licence, issued after a practical test, lasts 18 months with the new driver allowed to drive unaccompanied, but with certain restrictions; and finally a full licence is issued, with no further test necessary. Formal tuition is not compulsory, but may halve the time taken to progress through the learner’s and restricted stages. A similar system applies to new motorcyclists, but with further restrictions, and the requirement of a simple . handling test before the learner’s licence is issued. In most areas, the Ministry of Transport con-

ducts those tests, but in Christchurch has delegated these to approved riding schools. Mr Graham Casbolt, the chairman of the nonprofit trust which runs the Matchless Riding School, said that the system was not really complicated, but if there was a problem it was because of the attitudes of young people. “Youngsters do not seem to want to do rider training,” he said. As with car drivers, formal training is not compulsory, but might make getting a licence quicker. That fast-tracking might have been expected to increase the demand for tuition by aproved instructors, but Mrs Eagle said that her business was down 60 per cent. Other driving schools had gone out of business, while the driving school which had been the biggest in Christchurch with

13 cars was down to four, she said. Mrs Eagle said that one of the “frustrations” was the necessity to wait at least three months before the practical test, which meant that the process could no longer be achieved in one school holiday. The Institute of Driving Instructors believed that learners should be able to sit the practical test when they were ready, not after a set time. They should also learn the theory while taking driving instruction, rather than as the first step, said Mrs Eagle. She said that another disincentive was the cost: $22 for the theory test, $36 for the practical test, and finally the cost of the lifetime licence, which could vary depending on the applicant’s age. For most new drivers, the total would be about $BB, even without formal

tuition. “Somewhere along the line, they must be driving without licences,” she said. The Automobile Association generally supported the new system, said the A.A. general manager in Christchurch, Mr John Strachan. The system was to increase road safety, and road deaths were down so far this year, but whether this was because of the new system was not known. He believed, however, that the changes had not been as well publicised as they should have been. As a result, there were some young people on the roads taking lessons from their parents without a learner’s licence. Many parents were not aware that they might no longer legally teach their children to drive without their first passingg the theory test, he said.