Young Drivers, Safer Drivers

Te Pā o Rākaihautū — May 3rd, 2018

The best way to ensure our Uruao driver's are being safe is to get involved. Here are a few stats, tips and laws to be familiar with.

Now at Te Pā, we have pononga that are becoming licensed drivers, and it is more important than ever that we equip them with the best knowledge, so they can make the smart choices.

Young drivers on a learner/restricted licence are seven times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than other drivers.
- NZ Transport Agency

The best way to ensure our Uruao drivers are being safe is to get involved. Here are a few stats, tips and laws to be familiar with:

Conditions of driving on a Learner Licence:

You can only drive a car when you have a supervisor sitting beside you.
Your car must display learner (L) plates (external link) front and rear.
You may carry passengers but your supervisor has to agree as they will be responsible for them.
You face severe penalties if you drive outside your licence conditions.

In 2016, young drivers 16-24 were involved in 85 fatal crashes, 658 serious injury crashes and 2638 minor injury crashes.

Conditions of driving on a Restricted Licence:

Between 5am and 10pm you can drive on your own.
Between 10pm and 5am you can only drive if you have a supervisor in the front passenger seat.
If you’re driving without a supervisor, you can only take a passenger under special circumstances (See them HERE)

Be prepared to show evidence to a police officer if requested.

A University of Otago study found 8 out of 10 teens admitted carrying passengers when they were not supposed to.
- NZ Herald Article 'Bay of Plenty Times'

Here are some suggestions for parents/caregivers to make sure our pononga are making the best driving choices:

Create a contract, outlining expectations and consequences
Drive together more often - practice more dangerous scenarios with less risk
Discuss serious, local accidents
Make them pay tickets
Lead by example

Tauranga Boys' College has a policy for students wanting to bring their cars to school and anyone caught breaking the law has their privileges revoked temporarily. Repeat offenders are referred to police.

Here's an outline of Te Pā's Young Driver Policy:

We as Te Pā do not condone anyone driving while unlicensed or outside of their license guidelines.

As a ‘Learner Licence’ driver, you must always be accompanied by a fully licensed driver AT ALL TIMES and have ‘L’ plates present and visible.
As a ‘Restricted License’ driver you are to drive within certain time frames of the day.
Pononga with a driver's Licence intending to drive to and from Te Pā must bring their Licence to Te Rito to be put on file along with the registration details of the car they will be driving.
These files will be kept onsite for viewing at anytime
Pononga may leave Te Pā during school hours only after a parent or caregiver has notified Te Rito.
NO PASSENGERS at any time.

Making sure teens are safe on the roads is everyone’s responsibility. Recognising the need to raise awareness at the grassroots level.