Driver licensing in New Zealand

The New Zealand driver's licence system is a graduated system, which has been in place since 1987. It consists of three phases for a car licence, each with varying levels of conditions.

Overview

A New Zealand driver's licence allows the holder to drive a moped, tractor, or all-terrain vehicle as well as a car, however, motorbikes and heavy vehicles require separate licences. Upon passing the respective test for each stage of the system, the successful applicant is given a plastic card which contains a unique identifying number, date of birth and photograph of the holder. Apart from passports and a special-purpose 18+ card, a driver's licence is the only legal form of ID for buying alcohol or tobacco in New Zealand.

New Zealand driver's licences are issued by Land Transport New Zealand, but in the earlier part of the twentieth century were issued by local bodies, specifically city, borough or county councils.

Drivers must carry their licence at all times while driving. If they fail to do so they may face a fine of NZ$55.

Types of Licence

Learner Licence

A learner licence is gained after scoring 32 out of 35 (or better) on a multiple-choice test relating to road rules. Once gained, it allows the holder to drive provided they display black-on-yellow learner plates and are accompanied by a "supervisor" (being any person who has held a full licence for at least two years). The learner licence is a blue plastic card, and can be applied for any time after the age of 15.

Restricted Licence

A restricted licence is able to be obtained after having held a learner licence for at least six months and passing a twenty-minute practical driving test. This allows a driver to drive without L-plates, or a supervisor, between 5am and 10pm. If this requirement is not met, the driver may incur a $400 driving offence fee and/or demerit points. Drivers are only allowed to carry certain passengers with them, unless they have a full-licenced supervisor with them. Like a learner driver's supervisor, the supervisor has to have held their full licence for over two years. The restricted licence is a yellow plastic card.

Full Licence

A full licence is able to be obtained after the driver has held a restricted licence for eighteen months, or twelve months for someone who has taken an approved course, such as the defensive driving course or the Street Talk programme. However, if you are aged over 25, you only have to spend six months on a restricted licence or three months upon completion of a approved course. The driver must pass a more thorough, hour-long driving test. It allows a driver to drive at any time with passengers and to supervise a restricted licence holder at any time and, after two years, to supervise drivers holding a learner licence. It is a green plastic card.

International

A New Zealand licence is valid for use for a limited period of time in many countries. [http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/factsheets/65.html] An International Driving Permit (IDP) may be obtained from the Automobile Association. To obtain an IDP a person must be 18 years of age or over, hold a full current licence and pay a $NZ 20 fee. [http://www.aa.co.nz/motoring/licensingandtraining/international/Pages/default.aspx]

Visitors to New Zealand who hold overseas drivers licences may be required to take a driving test before they qualify for a full New Zealand licence. However, those from countries with similar road rules are only required to take a theory test (similar to the learner licence test) within a year of arrival; until this time they may continue to drive on their foreign drivers licence provided it is either written in English, or they have an authorised English translation available.

Driving age concerns

Since a Learner licence can be applied for at age 15, the minimum possible age to gain a Full licence is sixteen and a half. A restricted licence can be obtained at 15.5 allowing driving alone under certain restrictions. In recent years, there have been proposals to raise the minimum driving licensing age to 17 or 18, but so far they have never come to pass, due to objections from farmers who say that their children need to learn to drive early in life because of limited public transport.Fact|date=June 2008

External links

* [http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/licensing/car/index.html Land Transport Safety Authority car licensing site]