Only half of Learner drivers in Bay pass test

Nearly half of learner drivers in the Bay pass the test.

Nearly half of Western Bay's learner drivers are failing their restricted licence tests under a tough testing regime brought in to improve road safety.

But the good news is those sitting the restricted licence are passing at a higher rate than the national average, and 76 per cent of locals going for a full licence are passing - a rate higher than the national average of 63 per cent.

Licence testing has come under fire following allegations an enraged driver punched the Auckland testing officer who had just failed him in a practical driving test.

A tough testing regime introduced in February 2012 has faced criticism for its high failure rates and inconsistencies between testing officers.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) figures released to the Bay of Plenty Times show between February 2012 and April this year, 1224 learner drivers in the Western Bay passed their restricted tests, while 1111 failed, a pass rate of 52 per cent.

Bay of Plenty Driving School owner Jeroen van der Beek said Tauranga learner drivers needed to be better prepared.

"If they're dying on the roads, [the test] needs to be tough."

Underestimating test expectations was hopeful drivers' biggest downfall, he said. "A lot of people are going into the test and they haven't had professional driving instruction ... and they just don't know what they're in for."

Tauranga licence hopefuls were mostly slipping up on mirror use, and checking blind spots, he said.

Kevin Brooks, a Tauranga driving instructor, said people were not passing their tests as they were turning up "totally unprepared" with no real idea of the finesse of driving safely.

He said learners needed plenty of time on the road before their test and NZTA recommended at least 120 hours. "Most people wouldn't get anywhere near that."

NZTA has defended the system, saying nearly 60 per cent pass the restricted test on the first attempt, and overall the pass rate is more than 50 per cent.

The more challenging restricted test was introduced to improve the safety of young and novice drivers, NZTA said.

Among other proposed changes to licensing rules is a five-year time limit on holding a learner or restricted licence.

There were 15 reported incidents of verbal or physical abuse on driving test officers in the year to October 2013 and 16 others in 2012. additional reporting Sophie Ryan of APNZ