While New Zealand has nowhere near the number of prominent road tunnels that some European countries have, we still have significant ones like the Waterview tunnel. Driving in a tunnel tends to be at least as safe as driving on…
Rental car companies have plenty of avenues to rip you off if they are unscrupulous. We had a particularly bad experience with Avis in Italy who charged over $610 for ‘damage’ that already existed without providing any evidence of what the…
Remote immobilisers or GPS immobilisers, when used on company vehicles, are an excellent way of preventing your vehicles being stolen or, if they have been stolen, to prevent them from getting too far away. Currently, there are no regulations or even…
Driving instructors tend to deal with younger people. Where are younger people these days? Actually, where is almost everyone these days? They’re looking for things online. Let’s assume you already have a website because, if you don’t, well, you’re probably…
The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 treats a vehicle like a workplace. Workplaces may have a need for a fire extinguisher, so does it follow that some vehicles should also carry a fire extinguisher when they are used…
With their lack of experience, learner drivers can quickly get themselves into difficult situations due to: Approaching a corner too quickly Underestimating a vehicle’s performance Overestimating a vehicle’s performance Being distracted Being overwhelmed. Learner drivers also tend to be younger…
Some circumstances mean you are not allowed to drive at all, you’re not allowed to drive a specific vehicle or you’re not allowed to drive in a place where you usually can drive. You can drive when and where you…
Suited up and ready to ride! You’re zipping up your favourite motorcycle jacket, giving those sturdy boots the one-two kick, all while sliding on a freshly shined helmet; you’re ready to ride! There is always that one nagging issue, where…
Why do successive governments make the wrong decisions on reducing road deaths? Governments cannot make the right decisions on reducing our road toll because the right decisions are not politically palatable. As a government can be voted out after 3…
Your insurance company needs to be aware that you have a learner or restricted driver driving. They may change the conditions of your policy or your excess if you need to make a claim. What is learner driver insurance? Learner…
You can drive a car or motorbike with no muffler as long as it doesn’t exceed the maximum sound level allowed. What is a muffler? A muffler is part of the exhaust system which reduces the volume of your engine…
There are two types of errors that could cause you to fail your restricted or full licence practical driving test: Critical errors – you can make one of these in stage 1 of the test and up to two critical…
Gypsy Day, the annual ritual of sharemilkers and livestock owners moving their cows to new paddocks, happens around 1 June and there are reasons you should be careful if you’re driving in a rural area on or after that day. Hazards…
Traffic in our cities is diabolical in rush hour so it makes sense to carpool if possible to help reduce congestion levels. What is carpooling? Carpooling (also called ride sharing, car sharing or lift sharing) is when you prearrange to…
If you buy a car from a dealer you are covered by consumer legislation and various guarantees or warranties, but if you purchase a secondhand car from a private seller there is a risk that it could be stolen. If…
While it’s not ideal to reverse onto a busy road, there is no law against it. Firstly, you would have to determine what ‘busy’ means, which is difficult because many ‘busy’ roads are only busy at certain times of the…
Learning a system of car control makes it much easier for you to pass the practical driving tests for the restricted and full licences; they will make you more confident in your driving. Your driving instructor should be able to…
Depending on what vehicle you are driving and the type of road you are driving on, you have a number of options if your brakes stop working while you’re driving. They could stop working because of brake fade, you’ve driven…
In a vehicle crash the obvious cost is the damage to the vehicle but there is a social cost, too, as many other people are affected by the crash. The Ministry of Transport publishes social cost figures every year. New…
Distractions and inattention can cause your vehicle to drift out of its lane. In the worst case scenario this can cause you to hit another vehicle head-on. Lane departure warning systems are a suit of technology that warns drivers if…
