When you learn to drive you will have some experience of hazardous conditions, but it’s unlikely that you will experience all kinds of difficult situations that you might encounter. For example, you could learn to drive in Auckland and have…
New Zealand has very little manufacturing of helmets and therefore uses a mixture of international standards from Australia, the EU, Japan and the USA. All helmets sold for road use in New Zealand must meet one of the following approved…
Your helmet is going to help protect your head in a crash, but where is it most likely to hit something? The Icon Airframe Statistic helmet has graphics on it showing you the probability of each section receiving an impact…
In the UK the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has called for a standardised safety rating for motorcycle protective clothing. In New Zealand we have standards for motorcycle helmets which constitute a minimum level of protection. In the UK there…
We’ll take a look at the five different types of helmets and their pros and cons, plus how to choose based on what you’ll use it for. As your helmet is going to help protect you from head injuries, it’s important…
Some corners have deceptive camber or radius and this has been catching motorcyclists out for years, especially on the 130km Southern Coromandel Loop which includes Kopu, Whangamata, Waihi, and Paeroa. This area has seen a disproportionately high number of motorcyclist deaths:…
We are often made aware of risks that professional drivers such as truck and taxi drivers are exposed to during their job. Driving instructors can experience similar risks, plus some others. Driving instructors spend hours in or on their vehicle…
Your hazard warning lights are when all your indicators flash at the same time. They are designed to be used as a warning to other road users. There are some common misconceptions about hazard warning lights and when they can…
If you drive a modern car – one produced in the past few years – chances are that the advice you’ve been given to correct a skid is now wrong and might even be dangerous. The Road Code has been…
Drive 1 I decided I should take action on my desire to become a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists. Driving instructor Carl Winter who works at St John’s Driving Academy in Whangarei suggested it to me and I…
If you’re about to take your practical driving test for your car licence you’ll need to know these ten ways in which it’s easy to fail your test. We asked four instructors for their advice for new motorists Sharon Adams,…
If you’re considering taking your practical motorbike test, what are the common mistakes that will cause you to fail? Joanne Burns, Code Zero Speeding For CBTA assessments, the speeding criteria is for the candidate to be exceeding the limit for…
Tailgating is driving behind someone too closely. There is a recommended safe following distance which varies with speed and is indicated by time: the two-second rule. This means that the time difference between the back of the vehicle in front…
So, you’ve passed your driving test and you’ve bought a car. There are some things that you’ll need to keep an eye on and some tell-tale signs that all’s not right. Check your owner’s manual There will be some specific…
To drive smoothly we have to take one lesson from racing drivers: use the smoothest line around the corner. We’re not going to be braking and accelerating as harshly as racing drivers, though, just steering like them and using moderate…
When children become independently mobile, every parent wants to see them driving a safe car. In practice, how do you choose the safest option? ANCAP safety rating The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) does a great job distilling the…
If you’re heading away to South or Central America on a holiday or big OE you’ll see signs for animals that we don’t get in New Zealand, plus a few you’ll be familiar with Sloths are one of the…
When driving through Africa you’ll see animals that make the ones we get in New Zealand look tiny – an elephant can dwarf a big SUV, and a giraffe can be over a metre taller than a large truck. If…
The braking distance, also called the stopping distance, is the distance a vehicle covers from the time of the full application of its brakes until it has stopped moving. This is often given as a 100-0kph distance, e.g. 56.2m, and…
Brake fade is the partial or total loss of braking power, all of which are caused by overheating the service brakes (the brakes operated by pushing the brake pedal). There are three kinds: Pad fade The material used for the…
