Sitting on your Learners or Restricted? Govt to change licensing to make more $$$

[awayatc]

Fuck, Im glad your not the copper who caught me on my bike.

On the upside......you wouldn't get ticketed for doing a few clicks over the limit..........

[mada]

So how much is the fine for breaching licence condition vs sitting the test??? Seems to be no shortage of repeat offenders on police ten/7 show.
Now even if only half of them actually pay their fines, wont it be less money for govt if they had their licence???
Just seen a shitbox get tipped out by my place other day, musta been learner, cop made the three hoodie passengers get out and walk in rain... yeah that's real cool aye...

If your so anti the system and tests why even bother getting the learner licence in first place???

Most those repeat offenders will continue to be repeat offenders. They will buck the system no matter what - and will remain the highest risk drivers most likely to cause an accident. So using them as an excuse for this is bullshit.

All it is doing is making 100,000s more people who are not offenders sit the test to get $$ quicker and with a 60% fail rate lots of $$ from resits. I'm not anti-system, I got mine all done and dusted by 17 back in the days when you could get your learners at 15 etc - but I am anti-bullshit, which this new condition is by claiming its all about "safety". It does nothing to address the attitudes and current psyche on the roads of "get out of my way" and "I'm the best driver in the world" that are prevalent in NZ.

In my opinion if we want safer roads then there needs to be retesting of everyone every 5 - 10 years to ensure all drivers on the road are up to the CURRENT STANDARD given the road rules are often changing. Plenty of times I've had near death misses because of pricks on full licences who think the 1m rule for cyclists doesn't apply to them, that they don't need to give way to anything with less than four wheels whether it has a motor or not. In Auckland there are thousands of people who have never sat the NZ road code but are on full licences having converted their overseas licences (UK, South Korea, South Africa etc). More than half of the drivers on the road still don't know when you are turning right into a street with two lanes you stick to the lane closest to you rather than taking up two fucking lanes. How many drivers indicate when they are going straight through a roundabout and are exiting? Sweet fuck all, but if you're not as pedantic as the last point, on your testing you will fail. Screw having to do that in a manual when you're nervous as teenager trying to get your restricted.

Take all the millions of dollars wasted on "safer driving ads" which have no evidence of being effective at all and pump that into cheaper prices to sit the licences and have the providers provide the test vehicles. Change the "theory" defensive drivers courses and make them compulsory and practical based for all FULL LICENCE or RESTRICTED applications and RETESTING, put in the fear mongering from TV ads here with real life examples of fatalities, crashes, what drivers did wrong - get the drivers to critically think about how they would do things better. Teach people that CARS are a fucking lethal weapon, that once they have their "full licence" they are not in anyway SAFER or actually a BETTER DRIVER - that complacency and driver attitude kills - not the licence that they carry in their wallet. Too many drivers on the road don't know what to do or how to control their vehicle in dangerous situations and have a blase "she'll be right" attitude to their driving.

This still would not deal with the rest of the fuckwits who are repeat offenders and simply don't care/ will not be affected because they will continue to flout all the rules. Your question re: why get their learners? I think its because for most people it is the cheaper and less hassle way of getting a legal 18+ form of ID.

[mada]

Whats the bet this lady has a full...... :face palm:

[Scuba_Steve]

I like it how people think forcing people to upgrade their licence is somehow gonna magically make drivers better; obviously not engaging brain, don't worry tho the Govt will do it for you...
This is a money maker pure n simple! It's not gonna make divers better, it's not gonna improve the roads, it's not gonna result in less crashes, it's just gonna result in more $$$ to the profit making company behind the licensing as people try to keep their ID's

[unstuck]

Whats the bet this lady has a full...... :face palm:

Im a known man buddy.

[jasonu]

Well really if you can't get it together enough to sit your license in the one year time limit then tough shit.

[Gremlin]

I like it how people think forcing people to upgrade their licence is somehow gonna magically make drivers better; obviously not engaging brain, don't worry tho the Govt will do it for you...
This is a money maker pure n simple! It's not gonna make divers better, it's not gonna improve the roads, it's not gonna result in less crashes, it's just gonna result in more $$$ to the profit making company behind the licensing as people try to keep their ID's

It's a start. NZ Drivers need to learn that driving is a privilege, not a right. That will start when you lose your licence easily, and it's more difficult to gain it. It's not even that expensive compared to some other countries.

With the laws that have been tweaked in the last few years:
- Obtaining a licence requires a higher level of skill demonstrated.
- Losing a licence got easier. If you lose it for more than 12 months (and I've noticed a few 1 year and 1 day being handed out), then you start from scratch. Bear in mind that gets real expensive when you hold multiple classes.
- Now you have to pass through the system within a maximum time, or you lose it and start from scratch.

Remember that those on a learner's licence have never required any formal assessment of their driving, only a theory test...

Well really if you can't get it together enough to sit your license in the one year time limit then tough shit.

Well, to be fair, I simply didn't care. Sat my car learners when I passed my bike restricted (late 2005). Figured that by the time 1.5 years had passed, and I was eligible to sit my restricted car I would have had some practise... uh, nope, I was having far too much fun riding bikes. Only in late 2012 did I get serious and start seeking practise, getting some time behind the wheel etc, as I needed to drive in 2013 for work (normally I told my boss to pickup and deliver while I got to ride around ). Then passed the full the minimum 3 months after getting restricted

[Scuba_Steve]

Remember that those on a learner's licence have never required any formal assessment of their driving, only a theory test...

Remember those on a learners in a car need someone with them at all times, this won't fix those which ignore that; those on a learners on a bike are putting their own life at risk so tend to learn to survive.
All in all again this solves nothing, costs more, probably results in more incompetence on NZ roads. Licence class is NOT a indication of skill on the road, it is merely a indication of the $$$ spent nothing more.

[Gremlin]

Licence class is NOT a indication of skill on the road, it is merely a indication of the $$$ spent nothing more.

Actually, for a holder of a full licence, a minimum standard can be reasonably expected. This isn't an instant fix, but over time, as more skilled drivers have licences and the ratio of unskilled drivers drop the average level of skill will rise.

Of course, your argument is that the unskilled simply won't care, won't get licences etc. Yes, there is no magic fix here either, however, when caught, there are escalating fines and punishments, vehicles impounded and eventually (probably with increased laws as well in due course) the unskilled will be taken off the roads.

Of course, instead, we could just sit around, adopt a defeatist attitude that nothing will fix the problem, and in a decade, the same problem will still exist, and probably be worse.

[Banditbandit]

Man up, do the test, get your licence, pretty simple really...

Yeah .. get the licence, only pay once - I fail to see how that is going to increase $$$$ for the Govt.

[awayatc]

Remember those on a learners in a car need someone with them at all times, this won't fix those which ignore that; those on a learners on a bike are putting their own life at risk so tend to learn to survive.
All in all again this solves nothing, costs more, probably results in more incompetence on NZ roads. Licence class is NOT a indication of skill on the road, it is merely a indication of the $$$ spent nothing more.

You cant have it both ways,

you agree with the system, or you don't...

if you don't, then don't...which means also don't get your learners

if you do, then do, and progress through the system.

all the rest is just a softcock way of coming up with lame excuses....

The alternative would be to adapt a system without learners and restricted licences...
just classes, compulsory lessons and exam for full licence....
like Europe.....

[FJRider]

all three of my nippers have passed every stage 1st time.
Guess that the 60% fail means safer roads for us all.

Have you considered ... that 60% continue to drive UNLICENSED .. ??

[oneofsix]

all three of my nippers have passed every stage 1st time.
Guess that the 60% fail means safer roads for us all.

1st stage, that's the multi-choice scratchy, big deal, if it is a bike license it is at least the BHS which means they have shown "some" skill at pedestrian speeds in a car park.

[Scuba_Steve]

Actually, for a holder of a full licence, a minimum standard can be reasonably expected. This isn't an instant fix, but over time, as more skilled drivers have licences and the ratio of unskilled drivers drop the average level of skill will rise.

...

Of course, instead, we could just sit around, adopt a defeatist attitude that nothing will fix the problem, and in a decade, the same problem will still exist, and probably be worse.

Can you? 1stly I think you're a bit outta date there, the full licence is just around the block nowadays it's the restricted that "tests" drivers currently. 2ndly I've seen the people getting their restricted/full, all I can say is it worries me abit seeing the "skills" of these passed drivers.

...

Course the other option is to instigate a licensing test that actually tests whether you have the skills to be on the road or not & passes/fails based on this... Course that's not "vote friendly" so I'm not expecting it anytime soon, votes & $$$ come before Safety in NZ

[Gremlin]

Can you? 1stly I think you're a bit outta date there, the full licence is just around the block nowadays it's the restricted that "tests" drivers currently. 2ndly I've seen the people getting their restricted/full, all I can say is it worries me abit seeing the "skills" of these passed drivers.

True that the Full is mostly removing restrictions that you have on Restricted.

I sat car R and F in 2013, the "harder" tests, no problem, first time (granted, I've been riding bikes for years). I told the testing officer I'd be happy with tougher tests (on top of the improvements) and he was quite surprised, saying oh no, we're getting piles of complaints already and you want to make it harder?!

Ah well, hopefully we slowly move towards higher and higher standards.