We can get three types of petrol in New Zealand: 91, 95 and 98 RON (Research Octane Number). They’re all types of unleaded petrol (ULP), but 95 and 98 are often called premium unleaded petrol (PULP) or super. If you’ve…
Sirens are a universal warning device understood by all. They are used on the road by police, fire and ambulance emergency services to make other road users aware that they are approaching. Sirens have to be loud because people are…
When you come up to an intersection you should always leave your wheels pointing straight ahead until you start to turn into the intersection, i.e. as you start moving forward to make the turn into the intersection, turn your wheels.…
Red lights are used in a car to tell you if something’s not right and probably needs very quick attention because continuing on could damage your car or put the driver or passengers at risk. They appear in the area…
It’s obviously incredibly dangerous to take your eyes of the road while you are driving and, in an ideal world, we would keep 100% of our attention on the road, too. But that’s not realistic for some of us who…
When you head to Europe on your OE, or even just on holiday, it pays to know some of the strange driving rules that you’ll encounter which are different to New Zealand’s. They were useful for us when we recently…
Having your car seat adjust correctly means you will have better control over your car, you’ll be at less risk of injury if the air bag goes off, you will be less likely to damage your knees on the steering…
Insurance companies use the word ‘blame’ to determine the likelihood of them being able to recoup money from a party in an accident. It’s not technically an admission of who is at fault. For example, if your car is parked…
Flooding can happen at any time of the year. It occurs when the input of water is greater than drainage can take away. This can be caused by local rain, or by a river bursting its banks from rain upstream.…
A two-lane road in New Zealand usually consists of a lane in either direction that is 3.25m wide plus a 0.5m shoulder on either side which can be increased to 1.2m if it’s designed for cyclists. Traffic signs are located at…
Accident and crash are two loaded words. A discussion frequently occurs about whether an accident is really an accident – aren’t they just all ‘crashes’, and all preventable? It is a discussion that can be confusing if you let the semantics…
Are cars and vans the only four-wheeled vehicles allowed on the road, or are you allowed to ride a skateboard? Foot- and gravity-powered skateboards, scooters and skates You are allowed to use these on the road (unless expressly forbidden) but you…
Legal restrictions for riding electric bikes on the road Electric bikes are becoming very popular. The first models looked painfully uncool, but now there are bikes that look very fashionable. Given that an electric motor can be both small and…
There’s always someone who wants what you’ve got, so your job is to make it more difficult for them. New Zealand has a fairly high rate of car crime and many people don’t take any steps to prevent it until…
Does roadside advertising distract drivers? Roadside advertising has one purpose, and one purpose only: to distract drivers. While we can turn off our phones or avoid eating, smoking or shaving in the car, there’s very little we can do to…
The difference between registration and licensing While licensing is often called ‘rego’, there is a difference: Registration is when a car is first added to the Motor Vehicle Register in New Zealand and gets its registration plates. Licensing is the…
How do you get to ride a police motorbike for a living, and what are the specs of the bikes? We spoke to Sergeant Matt Ford, Supervising Instructor, based at the Sulphur Beach Road station at the bottom of the…
Manufacturers give a fuel economy figure for new cars in litres per 100km for urban, extra urban (i.e. higher speeds) and combined (a mixture of the two). This number is determined via a standardised test which, unfortunately, bears very little…
Almost all car manufacturers compete for kudos and business by publishing their fuel economy figures and hoping that they are better than their competitors. Only supercar companies, where fuel economy doesn’t matter much to the owners (think Ferrari and Lamborghini),…
If you break down in winter it can be an unpleasant, and potentially deadly, wait, depending on the weather conditions. There’s a risk of hypothermia if you are caught without enough clothing, and if you are parked on the side…
