Driver package angers teachers

Press, 26 April 1989, Page 12

Driver package angers teachers

By

Colin Espiner

Driving instructors are angry and upset with the Ministry of Transport over its move to include practical driver assessment and tuition in its driver education package, says the vice-president of the New Zealand Institute of Driving Instructors, Mr Ted Daly. The institute was seeking a legal opinion on the Ministry’s move, said Mr Daly. He claimed the Ministry was in direct competition with many of the members of the institute, who also offer driver assessment programmes. The Ministry had given verbal assurances it would not become involved in driver assessment and retraining. The assessment consists of a 40-minute practical test of a driver’s ability in city and rural areas. The programme was originally initiated by the Ministry as a part of the new three-tier licence scheme. A driver who holds a restricted licence must wait up to 18 months for a full licence but by passing

a driver’s assessment this can be reduced by half. About 18 months ago many instructors paid to attend a training course organised by the Ministry to become registered assessors under the new scheme. At the time the institute understood it would be the sole assessor of the drivers, Mr Daly said. The Ministry had made no mention of any plans to undertake its own assessment. The Ministry is offering courses in driver education and assessment, defensive driving, driver tutoring and fleet drivers training. The Ministry’s Customer Services division manager, Mr Geoff Henry, said the Ministry had not given any assurances it would stay out of driver assessment. It had only said it would not compete in the learnerdriver area. That assurance did not apply to the assessment or tuition of licensed drivers. Driving instructors had already had 18 months to develop the market themselves, Mr Henry said.