For today’s new driver, the recently published book We Had One of Those Too! by Stephen Barnett reveals the very different New Zealand driving environment of 50 and 60 years ago when the cars the book features held sway. Fuelled…
We’re doing all we can to help tourists and visitors adjust to New Zealand driving conditions with our free tourist Road Code quiz, and we were appalled by an idea that is gaining traction that tourist and visitor drivers should have…
On July 8, 2015 changes come into effect to the VDAM rule which introduce graduated penalties for minor infringements and a revised definition of three critical conditions which attract a higher penalty: Exceeding the gross weight on the permit Exceeding…
Operators of high-productivity motor vehicles anywhere in New Zealand will be able to apply for their permits online from mid-March 2015 after a successful trial in Auckland. The online system is able to track each step of your permit’s process…
Equipment that measures a vehicle’s speed and the quantity and type of its exhaust emissions while under power driving up a hill is used to measure how pollution behaves in the air. Each site is clearly marked, and there is no…
It was announced by the Transport Minister, Craig Foss, that the driver licensing system will be overhauled to try to make it simpler (read: less costly to run). This is partly because the current price of obtaining a driving licence…
If you have a car (class 1) or motorbike (class 6) licence there are new time limits being introduced from 1 December 2014 and a newly designed licence. The class 1 and class 6 learner and restricted licences will be…
NZTA and the NZ Rental Vehicle Association have begun a trial in the South Island of steering wheel tags and information cards aimed at educating overseas drivers as they get behind the wheel. A number of tourism and transport safety agencies…
As we reported back in April, NZTA was looking for input into a law change to limit the amount of time drivers and riders spend on their learner or restricted licence. Changes to the Land Transport (Driver Licensing) Rule were announced…
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…
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…
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:…
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…
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.…
NZTA is asking for feedback on changes to penalties levied on freight operators whose vehicles exceed either the weight limits stated in Land Transport Rule: Vehicle Dimensions and Mass 2002, or those set out in a permit. The general limits…
NZTA is working with the Road Transport Association NZ, Log Transport Safety Council and National Road Carriers to reduce engine braking noise. An initial trial, costing $100,000, is taking place on SH2 Takitimu Drive near the Elizabeth St roundabout in…
The European Commission has been spending a lot of money researching how to get people out of cars. Looking at 112 European cities with populations between 100,000-500,000 they investigated how people travel to work. They contend that travelling to work…
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…
State Highway 1 improvements A new 12.3km section, which bypasses Ngaruawahia and stretches from Taupiri in the north to Horotiu in the south, has been opened this week which makes travelling to Hamilton quicker. I drove this route yesterday, into…
