Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference Proceedings, 2001, Sydney

The NZ Roadshow Trust surveyed young drivers and their parents on their experience when learning to drive. The sample consisted of 324 young drivers and 146 of their parents/caregivers. Information included ages at different stages of getting a licence, who provided instruction and type and frequency of driving practice. Respondents were asked about attitudes during lessons and practice and whether the experience was positive. Results show that the majority of young drivers get most lessons from parents/caregivers. Most get fewer hours of practice during the learner phase than recommended. Many parents/caregivers said they were nervous. Twenty nine percent of these young drivers reported having had an accident. Following recommendations from the survey, the Roadshow Trust is developing a pilot programme to raise awareness among novice drivers and their parents of the need for more driving experience.