Affirmations or ‘self-talk’ is a common and simple way in which you can improve your performance. You can use it to help you improve your memory so that you remember the Road Code quicker and more effectively, reduce nervousness when…
A skid is where your vehicle’s tyres lose traction on the road surface and it can be caused by too much acceleration, too much braking or too much turning force for the road surface. Some of the advice you will hear…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Work time restrictions are placed on heavy vehicle drivers because driver fatigue is a leading cause of fatal crashes. Commercial drivers are particularly at risk, especially when they drive during shift-work. To keep drivers accountable details are stored in a…
Vehicle weight definitions The tare weight is the weight of the vehicle itself, not including any load. Gross weight or gross vehicle mass is the combined weight of a vehicle and its load, accessories, equipment and passengers. Before an overweight vehicle…
Class 2 The forward distance is the measurement is from the rear axis to the front of the vehicle or its load. The maximum distance a vehicle or its load may extend forward from the front edge of the driver’s seat…
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)…
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…
