In New Zealand, it seems there are two classes of road users. For one group, the Government is willing to invest in skills-based training to help improve their safety on the road, while for the other, they simply refuse.
Until June 2023, motorcycle riders will get a $200 cash back on their rego if they enrol in a Ride Forever rider training course. According to official correspondence from the Ministry, ‘ACC is funding this course because it provides substantial benefits to road safety for motorcyclists. Those who have not taken an approved training course are much more likely to be killed or seriously injured on New Zealand’s roads.’
But when asked about funding a similar type of programme for car drivers, the minister says; ‘Waka Kotahi has advised that while the concept of practical skills-based training programme appears to have merit, research has shown that practical skills-based training has proven either ineffective or, in some situations, has a negative impact on road safety.”
How is it that NZTA and ACC agree that skills-based training works for motorcyclists but not drivers of cars?
For as long as I can remember, the various road safety agencies have all sat in the same space around driving training; they are simply against the idea. Every time I query someone, they roll out the standard reply, “there’s evidence to suggest that driver training can actually make things worse”. It’s the same line that everyone within these organisations seems to live by. It doesn’t matter who they are, and there have been a lot of these ‘experts’ through these agencies over the years, they all use the same defence.
I ask myself why? Especially when we continue to see the destruction, injury and death out there on the roads. And I’m not talking about the result of someone’s premeditated decision to go out there and do something stupid in a car. The majority of injuries and deaths on our roads are a result of people making basic errors. They simply haven’t been taught what to expect. And yet this is the official comeback when trying to improve the skills of our drivers, especially preparing our young ones.
When it comes to driving training, it has got nothing to do with driving fast, or cornering quickly. I’m talking about basic stuff like creating cognitive awareness of other road users, understanding emergency braking, and showing people how slow most of our reaction times are. It’s about highlighting how one small mistake can quickly and easily become a catastrophe. We are talking about basic driving skills that are not taught when you get a licence. And yet the Government doesn’t want to know about it. Yes, there is a cost involved with driving training but what about the 380 lives lost per annum or the 12-14,000 serious injuries that ACC then has to pay for as a result of road trauma.
How difficult would it be to build some very basic training facilities around the country? It would be an investment for the future, one that would give drivers the opportunity to learn some of the most basic skills in half a day. We know from the feedback and surveys we have conducted following on from driver training we have done in the past that these programmes make a difference; they change the way people approach driving.
If the Government is serious about the Road to Zero, they are not going to get there the way they are going. The only way to achieve it would be by taking every single person that drives a vehicle off the road. And to some extent, it’s what they are trying to do in certain places with public transport. But the last time I checked, we have a growing population with a transport system that doesn’t allow people to get around without driving cars. Investing in drivers would go a long way to achieving their lofty goal.
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