Driving tests
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…
The three main types of drugs are those derived from hallucinogens, stimulants and depressants. All have a negative effect on your driving ability. This quick guide will tell you the effects of common illegal drugs on your driving ability. Be…
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…
Our traffic lights conform to international standards in terms of their colour, but we have slightly different phasing than some countries. Red lights A red light always means stop. You must wait until the green light shows before you can…
This is a convenient list of speed limits in New Zealand for all types of vehicles. For cars and motorbikes the open road speed limit is 100km/h if the conditions are good. Other vehicles have restricted limits, though. The default…
There are three videos in this article with 50 road signs in each to help you learn them for your test. The first video shows you the following signs: Speed limit 50kph (default urban limit) Compulsory stop Right turning traffic must…
To help drivers see where a road is going ahead, both in the day and at night, roads are often installed with markers on the left and right verges, road studs (also called cat’s eyes or reflective raised pavement markers),…
Alcohol and many drugs reduce your reaction time and change your perception of what’s going on around you. This is what makes them dangerous when driving. You dramatically increase the risk of killing or seriously injuring another person (and yourself)…
With Porirua, Waitomo and Gisborne showing success in the Community Driver Mentor Programme, Christchurch is the fourth region to roll it out. It focuses on drivers aged 16-24 that don’t have access to a licenced vehicle and can’t afford enough…
Street furniture, or road furniture, are items that are added to streets and roads to help direct traffic, inform road users, and help pedestrians. Road users Bollards Bollards prevent traffic from parking or driving on certain areas. They are sometimes…
When we buy a car we rarely think about cabin noise as being a major consideration in the purchase decision. Unless the car is obviously noisy when we drive it we’re unlikely to think about it. In this article we’ll…
Towing a trailer requires more skill from you as a driver, and puts more strain on your car. In this article we’ll discuss the skills you will need to develop, what the requirements are for your car, what should you…
In this article we’ll discuss how competent drivers avoid accidents, and tell you your obligations if you do have an accident. Until computers control all our vehicles, we will continue to have crashes because drivers are only human. Unfortunately humans…
When you start driving you will see three types of speed sign: a public regulatory limit, a private regulatory limit and a suggested safe (advisory) speed. Speed limit Public regulatory limits always end in zero. They start at 10km/h (which…
In this article we’ll recap on the basics of overtaking, then talk about advanced techniques taught to police drivers and instructors. The Road Code has an excellent basic set of guidelines for overtaking. Overtaking is the most risky manoeuvre on…
In a car you have four contact patches with the road, each one about the size of your hand. On a motorbike, the contact patches are the size of a credit card and there are only two. In a truck,…
Imagine this scenario: you are driving down Newton Road in Auckland in the left-hand lane and you are turning left into Piwakawaka Street. It’s drizzling lightly. You can see the map here (it opens in a new window). At the…
When you drive along a motorway you’ll find that most other roads pass over the top of the motorway and there are a few good reasons for this. Bridges It is easier and cheaper to build a longer two-lane bridge than…
There are several types of pedestrian crossings on New Zealand’s roads, and they are designed to allow safer crossings for pedestrians, people using wheeled recreational vehicles like skateboards, rollerskates and self-propelled scooters; and people using mobility devices such as motorised…
If you learned to drive during summer, chances are that you won’t have driven in snow before. The main issues with snow are that it reduces the friction between your vehicle and the road, and can block roads. Ideally, if…
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