Driver licence reforms can’t put safety in the back seat

Wednesday, 9 July 2025

Learner driver Hteeshee takes a spin in Lower Hutt with instructors Randall Day and Victoria Mitchell (back seat). (File photo)

Donna Govorko is general manager of Students Against Dangerous Driving (Sadd).

OPINION: While very few of us would have woken up on our 16th birthdays to find a shiny new car wrapped in a comically large bow, one experience that most of us would have shared when it comes to getting behind the wheel is having to study, and pass, the driving test.

The consultation period for the Government’s proposal to review our driver licensing process has now closed. Included in the raft of public submissions is one that we penned with the support of our long-time partner, the Automobile Association (AA).

While the proposed changes are a positive step towards making the process more affordable and accessible for rangatahi, it also raises questions about how it ensures the safety and competence of every new driver going through this journey.

Because while access is important, so is education. Amidst the proposed changes is the removal of the second practical driving test, and the requirement that drivers on their restricted licence keep a squeaky clean driving record. How will they enforce this? By halving the demerit threshold for learner and restricted drivers, meaning they can have their licence suspended if they reach just 50 demerit points.

The New Zealand driver licence, a cherished passport to independence for many young people, but not one which should be granted lightly, argues Donna Govorko.

But for the majority, how do we know they are sticking to the rules and not just flying under the radar? We need robust practical tests to ensure drivers are fully prepared for the road by the time they reach the restricted licence phase, with their progress continuously logged, monitored and measured.

As a former high school teacher, police officer, and now general manager at Students Against Dangerous Driving (Sadd), I’ve spent much of my life working alongside youth in the community. Something I’ve learned along the way is this: we can’t just enforce our way out of risky youth behaviour. We also need to educate our way toward lasting change.

It’s easy to understand why young people might be excited about these proposed changes. It feels like freedom. From their point of view, it feels like the licence process is finally becoming quicker and simpler. And in many ways it is.

Safer Driving Driving School owner Kevin Bargent says the changes are 'lowering the bar'.

But we can’t forget that young people are also in a critical stage of development. Their brains are still forming, particularly in the areas responsible for risk assessment and impulse control. This is a stage of life where peer pressure is intense, and where consequences often feel far away.

Even now, data from the AA Research Foundation found that two-thirds of young drivers admitted to speeding in a 50kph zone, almost a quarter scroll social media while driving, and a third had been involved in a crash in the past five years.

Safe driving requires a deeper understanding of responsibility and consequences. But many young people are doing their best with limited support. These types of skills take time and support to develop; however some youth may not have access to a car, professional lessons, or maybe they live in a home where no one has a driver’s licence and can supervise them.

Without support, these young people are at greater risk on our roads – and in our justice system.

While the proposal of lowering the demerit point threshold is intended to encourage compliance, we need to be cautious. I’ve seen first-hand how many young people end up in the justice system through traffic offences. Often, it starts with something small, like breaching their licence conditions, and snowballs from there. The police simply don’t have the capacity to monitor every young driver.

Donna Govorko is the general manager for Sadd, Students Against Dangerous Driving.

That’s why having appropriate interventions and education up front gives us the chance to prevent harm before it happens. We’ve been working at it from a grassroots level. We launched the Community Road Safety Programme in 2023 with the support of the Automobile Association and Waka Kotahi’s community road safety fund to engage with vulnerable road users who don’t go to mainstream schools, including young traffic offenders, meaning we could educate and empower rangatahi who conventional programmes are typically unable to reach.

With the backing of the AA and Waka Kotahi/NZTA we have the potential to apply this at scale.

We’ve seen similar licence pathways work overseas. In Australia, there are minimum supervised driving hours, mentorship programmes and upfront interventions built into the licensing journey.

At Sadd, we’ve been working with schools and communities to empower rangatahi to make safer decisions on the roads for 40 years. During that time, we have continuously adapted to the changing behaviours and needs of students – the shock “‘car crash” simulations from the early days shifted to peer-to-peer education and empowerment, and we even switched out the “drunk” in our name to “dangerous” as a reflection of all the unique challenges we face on the road.

And we will adapt again if these licence changes go through.

Because every young person in Aotearoa uses the road – whether it’s behind the wheel, on a bike, on foot, or as a passenger. If we truly want to make a difference, we need to meet them where they are at and bring them on the journey.

That means working with schools, whānau, and communities to provide the support they deserve – not just ticking a box and handing out a licence.