The AA Research Foundation has released a study into driver licensing, aiming to help address New Zealand’s tragically high youth road death toll.

New Zealand drivers and motorcyclists under 25 years old are involved in more than a quarter of the country’s fatal crashes. 18-24 year olds are nearly three times more likely to die on the roads than young Australians.

The study, undertaken by the University of Adelaide’s Centre Automotive Safety Research (CASR) for the AA Research Foundation, benchmarks New Zealand’s three-stage Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) against overseas schemes. It identifies a number of measures with beneficial outcomes for novice drivers that could be used to strengthen New Zealand’s licensing system.

The latest Ministry of Transport figures show young drivers under 25 were involved in nearly a third – 96 of 337 – of fatal crashes in 2022. They were judged to be responsible for 82 of them.

Some approaches to licensing overseas as highlighted in the AARF study include:

  • Extended learner period: Several Australian states have a minimum learner’s period of 12 months – double New Zealand’s minimum six-month period.
  • Mandatory supervised driving hours: Several countries require learners to complete a certain number of supervised driving hours before being able to drive alone.
  • Hazard perception test: Hazard perception tests are a prerequisite for progressing from a learner to a restricted license in several jurisdictions. This is in use in Australia and the UK to enhance young drivers’ abilities to anticipate and react to potential hazards.
  • Zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit until full licence: In New Zealand only novice drivers under the age of 20 are subject to a zero BAC limit. There is a zero-alcohol limit in all Australian states for learner and restricted drivers regardless of age.
  • Tougher penalties for traffic offenses: In New Zealand all licence holders accumulate the same number of demerit points before losing their licence, but in Australia, novice drivers have a lower threshold and any offences stay on their record for a longer period of time.

“This study provides a good starting point for an investigation into how our licensing system might be improved,” said AA Research Foundation manager, Dylan Thomsen.

“We should be open to exploring different ideas that have the potential to produce drivers with skills and behaviours that make our roads safer.”