Road Safety Education

Youth DriveSkills Programme

Upper Hutt young drivers better equipped for the roads.

From 5 to 9 July 2010, sixty Upper Hutt teenagers spent part of their school holidays upskilling themselves when it comes to getting behind the wheel. Youth DriveSkills Upper Hutt is a joint project between Upper Hutt Police, Upper Hutt City Council and VTNZ and has been run for the first time.

Upper Hutt Police Youth Education Officer Senior Constable Kerry Fenton says the idea for the course came last year after numerous conversations with young people revealed barriers to graduating through the driver licencing system. Senior constable Fenton said "Youth were telling us the barriers included the cost of the licences, the cost of driving lessons and the fact that there wasn't anyone to teach them correct driving techniques."

60 students took the opportunity to undertake practical driving lessons under the watchful eyes of New Zealand Police College driving instructors, as well as learning basic road safety skills. As part of VTNZ's commitment to the project, 15 students will have their licences paid for - either a Learner's, Restricted or Full licence. The support from MAF for allowing the use of the Wallaceville Animal Research Centre was also integral to the programme's success as students were able to practice with the driver trainer's on their closed roading network.

Upper Hutt City Council Road Safety Coordinator Joanne Kinnaird says the course is a win-win for the community. "Twenty three per cent of crashes in Upper Hutt are caused by people on a Restricted licence so we're doing our bit to encourage young drivers to graduate through the driver licencing system." Joanne says it's admirable that these 60 young people have attended the course off their own bat and we're really proud of the hard work and commitment they've demonstrated this week. "The students have told us that the course was really valuable and has given them more confidence with their driving. They also said the course made them more aware about hazards on the road, such as texting while driving."

Senior Constable Kerry Fenton says they're looking at all options to make the Youth DriveSkills Upper Hutt sustainable into the future.
  

Why get a Licence?
Because you are breaking the law if you are driving without one, and there are insurance issues if you have a crash. You also can't drive a company vehicle if you don't have a licence.

Why go through from Restricted to Full licence?
Because there is are no restrictions or conditions on full licence holders. Basically you can drive when you want where you want without a curfew or having a person with a full licence with you.

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