AA free driving lessons launch in Palmerston North

The AA Driving School has extended its free driving lesson programme to include Palmerston North.

Since July 2013, the AA progressively expanded the reach of its free driving lesson programme to drivers who have held their learner licence for less than two months and are either AA Members or the sons or daughters of AA Members.

The continuing rollout of the programme enables the AA to ensure more people have access to professional driver training and better prepare themselves ahead of the more stringent restricted licence practical test.

AA Driving School General Manager Nigel Clark says half of New Zealand’s newest motorists fail their restricted driving test because many are unprepared.

“And if new drivers are unprepared for the test, they are unprepared for driving solo on our roads. They would be putting themselves and other motorists at risk,” Mr Clark says.

A tougher restricted driving test was introduced by the Transport Agency in early 2012 which, along with lifting the age of driver licence eligibility to 16, was part of a suite of changes designed to improve road safety outcomes.

Mr Clark says the AA supports higher testing standards because it means learner drivers need to take more time to develop their skills and build a solid foundation for safe driving.

“Since we introduced our free driving lesson programme in July, we’ve introduced more than 1000 people to professional driver training and demonstrated how it can assist them on their journey towards obtaining the full licence.”

Mr Clark says a large percentage of new drivers begin to learn to drive with their parents and then consider driving lessons immediately prior to sitting their practical driving test to earn their restricted licence.

“What many new drivers discover when they have their first professional driving lesson, following months of supervised driving with their parents, is that they still have some things to learn – and in some cases, some things to unlearn.”

Next month the AA also plans to launch the free driving lesson programme in Auckland.

“Once Auckland is up and running, we expect we will be delivering more than 500 free lessons to new drivers across the country every month.”

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