Unyielding Kiwis failing driving tests

New drivers are being encouraged to swot up on basic road rules after it emerged the most common reason for failing practical driving tests is failing to give way.

More than 250,000 practical tests will be taken in New Zealand this year and about one-third of those will be failed, according to VTNZ.

The organisation says forgetting to give way accounts for 24 per cent of immediate failures, followed by travelling 10kph above the speed limit on 22 per cent and failing to stop at a stop sign with 17 per cent. Next on the list of reasons for failure is no head check or mirror check when required, at 15 per cent, while travelling 5-9kph over the speed limit for less than five seconds happens in 10 per cent of tests.

James Law, VTNZ driver testing manager, says new drivers “must understand the importance of giving way to others on the road and keeping to the speed limit”.

“This is not about pass or fail rates, it’s about road safety,” he says.

Pass rates for those sitting their full test are 75 per cent compared to 55 per cent for those taking a restricted test. A full test is stopped if the applicant makes two critical errors, while a restricted test is stopped after three critical errors.

“What this shows is the benefits of training and spending time mastering the road rules,” Law says. “We want to ensure newly licenced drivers are as ready as they can be for New Zealand roads and conditions.

“Our advice to drivers is to check out the main reasons people fail and work on these to improve their driving and their chances of passing the practical driving test first time.”