How do you improve the safety of your employee drivers? There are six main areas you can improve driver safety: Reducing distractions Improving driver health and fitness Eliminating drug and alcohol usage Improving awareness of dangers so that drivers drive to…
People who drive at work People who drive at work are more likely to have an accident than people that don’t. There are a number of factors that contribute to the risk: Driving for work means you are on the…
People who drive for work spend more time on the road in stressful situations while multitasking and therefore increase their risk of having an accident. In fact, according to NZTA and ACC, up to 25% of work vehicles will be…
The approximate CO2 per litre of diesel fuel is 2.68kg, and for petrol it is approximately 2.31kg. LPG produces around 1.51kg per litre. There is not much variation in this, even with new vs old vehicles; the main factor that…
How to create a safe driving policy Every company or entity that has employees, volunteers or contractors drive its vehicles or use their own vehicles directly for work purposes must have a safe driving policy. You can create your own,…
The government, police and road authorities traditionally use a variety of fear-based techniques to encourage people to stick to the road rules. Rules and laws are created for safety and/or convenience, and breaking these rules results in some kind of…
This is a very rare occurrence in New Zealand because we have ACC, but it pays to understand what happens because it’s common in some other countries (particularly eastern European countries and Russia). In fact, it’s so common in Russia…
Any visitor to New Zealand with a current, valid overseas private driving licence can drive for 12 months using that licence before they have to change it to a New Zealand licence. Occasionally these timeframes are temporarily changed by the…
Transporting pets in your car Brake heavily with an unrestrained dog in the back of your car, and a canine missile will be projected into you, your passenger, or through the windscreen. This is not good for the pet or…
Towing a normal trailer is much easier than towing a horse in a trailer. A horse is several hundred kilos of unstable, top-heavy mass that can move around in your trailer and it makes driving a challenge as you will…
Wing mirrors – also called side mirrors or door mirrors – help the driver or rider see what’s at the side and behind them. Despite their usefulness in reversing and changing lanes, cars and bikes didn’t used to have them…
New Zealand’s maximum speed limit is 100km/h except for a couple of stretches of motorway which are 110km/h. It was introduced at a time when cars didn’t have anti-lock brakes, tyres were poor-performing radial cross-plies, and our roading system had…
Broadcasting live video of yourself is now easy with apps such as Periscope and Facebook Livestream on your smartphone. Even YouTube is getting in on it. The possibilities are endless, from enabling relatives across the world to see a special…
What’s the meaning of swept path? When a long vehicle turns a corner the rear wheels follow a path with a tighter arc than the front wheels as the trailer is pulled around. The area between the innermost wheel’s path…
You are allowed to record a driving test using a video camera or audio recorder in the following situations: If the camera records what is happening in the car both the testing officer and the person taking the test must…
In order to drive you must meet a minimum level of health. Every time you renew or replace your driver’s licence you must either declare yourself fit to drive or, in some cases, supply a medical or eyesight certificate. Some…
When vehicles burn fuel they don’t do it efficiently and it creates undesirable compounds which we call pollution. Vehicle manufacturers are constantly striving to make their engines more efficient with the optimum goal of burnt fuel just producing water, nitrogen…
Back in the day if you slammed on your brakes your wheels would lock up causing a skid. Once you’re skidding you have no control over your vehicle. Today we see far fewer skid marks on the roads and that’s because…
The minimum distance you are allowed to park from a vehicle entrance is one metre. Any closer than this and it makes it difficult for people in larger vehicles to get in and out of the driveway, and you could…
A brain injury need not mean the end of driving. Some skills can be regained or relearned, including driving. Getting back on the road again can improve independence for people who have suffered a brain injury. Driving requires a number of…
