18 September 2013

Pass rates climbing and crashes falling as new drivers study up on road rules

The NZ Transport Agency is congratulating young drivers and their parents for working hard to learn the road code as pass rates for New Zealand's computerised learner driver licence theory test have hit 70% for the first time, while serious crashes involving teenage drivers drop to record lows.

Nationwide the pass rate for the Class 1 (car) theory test reached 70% in July this year, and while a slight drop to 67% was recorded in August, the national pass rate is up significantly from 60% at the same time last year and less than 50% in 2009.

The Transport Agency introduced computerised theory testing for learner driver licence tests in November 2009. The test asks 25 general and 10 class-specific questions randomly selected from a databank of over 200 questions, but unlike the old paper 'scratchie' tests which the computerised test replaced, it presents them as a random string of 35 questions. Applicants must answer 32 out of 35 questions correctly to pass.

Transport Agency Road Safety Director Ernst Zollner said when the computerised test was introduced in 2009 it quickly became apparent that the old paper scratch test was well past its use by date.

"The old test was more than 10 years old and all of the questions, the answers and their exact sequences were well known. It was apparent that many learner licence applicants were memorising the tests and learning by rote rather than actually studying the full road code and learning the road rules. For that reason we expected to see a drop in the pass rate in the early days of computerised testing, and we did. The overall pass rate dropped from 77% in the last six months of the old paper testing regime to less than 50% when the computerised test was first rolled out in November 2009.

"Since that time we've seen the pass rate for computerised theory testing steadily increase as young drivers have gotten the message that they really need to learn the road code before sitting the test. That's great news for everyone who uses the road, because we need our newest drivers to be safe drivers who understand the road rules."

The Transport Agency also encourages young drivers who have passed the theory test and gained a learner licence to put in plenty of supervised practice and use the free resources at www.practice.co.nz to prepare for the more challenging restricted licence practical test which was introduced in February last year.

Mr Zollner said the number of fatal and serious injury crashes involving teenage drivers had dropped from 475 in 2008 to 257 last year, and while the downward trend was encouraging, road crashes were still the single biggest killer of teenagers in New Zealand. With an average of one teenager killed on New Zealand roads every week in recent years our teen crash rates were still among the worst in the developed world.

"That’s a situation no-one should accept, and New Zealanders are looking for decisive action to reduce this needless waste of young life and young potential,” Mr Zollner said. “Raising the standard of driving required to gain a licence with more challenging tests is an essential part of the solution.”

Mr Zollner said more challenging driver tests were a key element of the Government’s Safer Journeys action plan to improve the safety of young drivers, and other changes introduced as part of the same package have included increasing the minimum driving age to 16, lowering the youth alcohol limit for teen drivers to zero, and encouraging teen drivers and their parents to buy the safest vehicles they can afford.

Learner Licence Theory Test Pass Rates

Learner Licence Theory Test Pass Rates, by region

* The computerised theory test was introduced in November 2009. **The minimum licensing age in New Zealand was increased from 15 to 16 on August 1, 2011. This effectively removed approximately 20,000 teens from the pool of potential learner licensed drivers/theory test applicants.

2013 - Regional Rankings

Pass rates

Test duration*

*Average time taken by applicants to complete all 35 questions in Class 1 theory test.

For more information please visit www.nzta.govt.nz

ENDS

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