As vehicle manufacturers constantly attempt to outdo one another in convenience, comfort and safety, new features appear on premium models and then gradually trickle down to the mainstream models. While automotive manufacturers sometimes develop their own systems, many of the…
You must have your full class 6 licence before you are allowed to carry a pillion passenger. Your bike must have a seat and foot pegs for the passenger. If it doesn’t, there’s a risk they might get a limb…
While it’s only a legal requirement to wear a helmet when riding a motorbike, if you come off, the coarse road surface will act like a cheese grater on your skin and you’ll be left with serious (and often disfiguring)…
Almost all motorcyclists will wear glasses or goggles at some time when riding a motorbike, whether to correct vision, dull the bright sun or protect the eyes. Before you purchase a pair of glasses, though, you’ll need to make sure that…
Is it possible for cruise control to cause you to crash when the road conditions are slippery? There’s an email that’s been circulating for years (at least since 2002) which purports to explain such as situation – a woman is…
Rumble strips, raised profile line markings or audio tactile profiled (ATP) road markings, are road markings that generate noise and vibration when you drive over them. The lines are painted like normal road markings except the machine drops ridges (also…
There are three main crash test rating agencies that we see in New Zealand: ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program), Euro NCAP and JNCAP (Japan). There is also the IIHS in the USA, but their figures don’t tend to be…
Spring starts today and Daylight Saving starts on the last Sunday of September. Both of these have the effect of increasing the risk of accidents among truck drivers. Truck drivers often work the kind of hours that gives them an…
Getting your driving licence can help you make money (many jobs require that you have a driver’s licence), give you freedom, spend time with friends, pursue hobbies and see places you might not otherwise easily be able to see. But…
Air recirculation Your car can introduce air from the outside, or it can recirculate air that’s already in the car. It’s not a completely closed system – there’s always air coming in from the outside because your car is not…
Fog lights Fog is technically when visibility is reduced to less than 1km by mist and low-lying cloud. However, thick fog can reduce your visibility to just a few metres. On the back of a car will be one or…
While around 90% of cars sold in New Zealand have an automatic gearbox of some kind, if you learn to drive and take your restricted test with an automatic, it means you can’t drive a manual car until you pass…
Roading authorities need to convey a certain amount of information to help you drive. Regulatory and advisory signs, street signs, road markings and traffic signals have to compete against advertising hoardings, vehicle signage and other distractions on and off the…
Wearing safety belts The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers under 15 years of age wear seat belts. Passengers 15 years of age and over are responsible for putting seat belts on themselves. If you are riding a motorbike,…
Historic tourist information signs were yellow pole-mounted signs, and you can still see some of these around in rural areas. Newer signs are brown with white writing. Not all tourist facilities warrant a sign. NZTA divides tourist facilities into five…
Parking permission signs Parking signs are usually blue with white writing. Apart from 5-minute parking, they are in increments of 10 minutes up to 60 minutes, then in 60-minute intervals up to 240 minutes. At the edge of each parking…
Traffic engineers look at engineering, education and enforcement when designing traffic environments. In this article we’ll show you many of the different ways in which traffic engineers make roads safer by using measures to slow drivers down where there might…
Let’s look at a number of examples of giving way which can help you determine what to do at many kinds of intersections in New Zealand (and around the world). If you’ve been confused about the rules before, these simple…
Class 1 – car licence (learner or restricted) A holder of a Class 1 learner or restricted licence can drive: Any vehicle with a gross laden weight (GLW) or gross combined weight (GCW) of not more than 4500kg, including tractors…
