Driving tests
As the number of tourists visiting New Zealand grows, so does the number of rental cars driven by people who may never have driven on the left before. Tourists might not speak or read English and therefore struggle to understand…
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…
New Zealand’s current law, which was brought into effect on 1 November 2009 states that it is illegal to drive while impaired by drugs, even legally prescribed drugs such as Benzodiazepines. However, it’s only alcohol that has prescribed maximum limits.…
Studies done in various countries have found that certain intersections are very daunting for some drivers. Where you get a lot of traffic passing through and needing to go in different directions intersections can not only be complex in their…
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,…
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…
Peter Chalmers has been a driving instructor since 2000. Back in November 2010 Peter and his wife Lilian went to an orphanage in Kerala, India for two months. There were older children there who wanted to learn to drive, but many…
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…
Heading over to the UK on your OE? If you’re driving around you’ll see a few new animal signs that won’t be familiar from driving on New Zealand roads. This specialist sign means that police dogs might be on patrol…
While you don’t need to do all your driving practice with a licensed driving instructor, it’s advisable to get a number of hours in with one right at the beginning so that you don’t get into any bad habits (or,…
Vehicle platooning is part of a suite of features that self-driving cars might employ. A platoon is a group of vehicles that can travel very closely together, safely at high speed. Each vehicle communicates with the other vehicles in the…
NZTA is introducing a new bright orange tape on Auckland’s motorways to help guide drivers through construction areas. It’s used in a continuous strip to help define temporary lanes. “The tape helps reduce the risk of an incident, particularly on…
Our ability to park is gradually being dumbed down by new technology that is appearing on cars even at the budget end of the price range. Sensors in the bumpers, both front and rear, warn of hidden obstacles either with…
The history of reversing sensors and reversing cameras Reversing cameras and reversing sensors have been conceptualised on vehicles since before 1950. The first sensors were simple kerb sensors which gradually grew in sophistication through to the 1980s. These consisted of…
New Zealand’s land mass is primarily rural and therefore all drivers will, at some point, drive through the countryside. For new drivers and drivers visiting NZ, this article explains all of the hazards and situations you will occur driving around…
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