Foreign drivers flunking Kiwi driving theory test 'concerning'

Monday, 17 June 2019

An overwhelming majority of foreign drivers failed the New Zealand driving theory test in a study of Queenstown tourists.

Just seven of 226 foreign drivers – the majority of whom had been driving in the country for more than a week – were able to pass the test, which was 'especially concerning', a report from the University of Otago concluded.

That meant the vast majority would not have been allowed to drive in New Zealand had they taken the national driving test.

The researchers pointed out the questions were only theory, not practical driving (file photo).

Professor Neil Carr, of the Department of Tourism, said the study identified a serious gap in the road rule knowledge of self-drive international visitors to New Zealand.

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Researchers quizzed foreign drivers on the road rules in Queenstown (file photo).

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Just seven of 226 foreign drivers were able to pass a New Zealand theory driving test.

Banning drivers from the country's roads was not the answer, rather a comprehensive plan was needed to prepare for the increasing number of international visitors choosing to self-drive around New Zealand.

The research highlighted issues with give way rules, while 15 per cent admitted they were not confident of driving safely in New Zealand.

It suggested New Zealand was not doing enough to educate foreign drivers, Carr said. However, he cautioned that the research was about the theory, rather than actual driving.

The study, which Carr authored with Ismail Shaheer, was conducted in Queenstown, where researchers approached 284 people from 34 different countries.

The three largest of the 34 nationalities tested were German (49), British (26) and French (18).

Professor Neil Carr, of the University of Otago's Department of Tourism, has researched self-driving tourists visiting New Zealand.

Fifty-eight people would not do the survey – mostly due to language issues – with 31 of those from China.

The tourists needed to correctly answer 28 out of 30 questions to pass, compared with New Zealanders who need 32 out of 35 correct answers to pass the theory test for a driver's licence.

The study authors warned against 'rushing to castigate international road users' for a lack of road rules knowledge, or to ban them from New Zealand roads.

Carr questioned how many New Zealanders with driving licences could have passed the test.

'It is arguably one thing to pass a theory test for which you have prepared and another thing to do so after several years of driving.'

When asked about their confidence driving on New Zealand roads, 15 per cent replied they were not confident.

'It is arguably concerning to see so many people driving on New Zealand's roads and not being confident in doing so,' the study authors said.

However, four out of the seven who passed the test stated as being very confident in driving in New Zealand.

There were three questions which stumped most of the international visitors, including what should you do if your vehicle breaks down on a motorway, and which lane to turn into when turning right into a one way, two-laned street. In an unscientific survey of Stuff reporters, only one got all three questions correct.

The most recent data from the NZ Transport Agency shows of the 342 fatal crashes in New Zealand in 2017, overseas drivers were involved – but not necessarily at fault – in 23.

Regions with high tourist numbers and smaller local populations have a greater proportion of crashes involving overseas drivers.

Auckland has by far the highest number of crashes involving overseas drivers, but they only account for 5 per cent of crashes in the region overall.

That compared sharply with Westland, Queenstown-Lakes and Southland, with overseas drivers involved in between 23-43 per cent of all crashes, due to smaller local populations.

Between 2013-17 the six most frequently listed nationalities of drivers involved in fatal and injury crashes in New Zealand were China (385), Australia (359), Germany (322), India (269), UK (237) and the USA (230).

Sharyn Forsyth, chairwoman of Transport Research and Educational Trust Board, which funded the research, said more needed to be done to 'make sure that people driving in New Zealand know what they're doing, and can do so safely with confidence'.

'We need to keep everyone who is driving in New Zealand safe, and this includes ensuring that international drivers are supported to drive confidently while they are here.'