Northland fares poorly when it comes to following road rules, says driving expert

Driving instructor Neville Redfern says most drivers develop bad habits when they do not keep themselves up to date with the latest road rules. Photo / Tania Whyte

It’s no secret Northland has its fair share of bad drivers following poor habits. So, how well do we fare when it comes to road rules?

According to driving instructor Neville Redfern who provides defensive driving lessons under AA, about 80 per cent of vehicle users in the region would score poorly.

“I can guarantee that most people with a full driver’s licence would miserably fail at some stage if they were to be tested today or tomorrow,” Redfern said.

In his experience, there were five common mistakes or bad habits adopted by road users.

“Personally, indicating incorrectly at roundabouts and not keeping a safe distance [following too close] while driving take the top two spots.”

Not stopping at stop signs, changing lanes without indicating or not looking for blind spots and checking mirrors before braking were the other habits people needed to improve upon.

To test if vehicle users were up to the mark with the instructor’s advice, the Advocate quizzed 10 random people at the carpark shared by Countdown and Kmart buyers in Whangārei on Tuesday.

They were asked about the actions they would take if they were to go straight through a roundabout and what they considered to be a “safe distance” while following a vehicle.

For the first question, only three respondents answered correctly by stating drivers didn’t need to indicate as they approached the roundabout but should indicate left only when they passed the first exit.

Others who provided the incorrect response believed that they either needed to indicate two times or not at all.

The second question saw all the participants bar one answer incorrectly or respond that they “had no idea”.

Although most of them didn’t seem to recall the two-second rule while driving in fine conditions, some of them were quick to recall a three-second rule – which this reporter understands is an Australian road rule and one not followed in Aotearoa, as far as the country’s rule book suggests.

However, six of those surveyed had a good visual sense of how close is “too close” when following a vehicle. They said they either marked an object on the side of the road - for instance, a tree or a power pole - or used family counting techniques to measure their distance.

After the Advocate revealed the correct answers, a few of the top comments were: “I know the rules well because that’s what the book says”, and “I can assure you that I have a full driver’s license and have studied the road rules”.

Most people still flash their indicators in the wrong direction and need to ensure they do not exceed the speed limit. Photo / Tania Whyte

On the same day, the Advocate checked if road users stopped at stop signs placed on either side of the Wrack and Graham St. In 12 minutes, we found 11 vehicles that didn’t bother to stop and took a turn on Kamo Rd when there were no oncoming vehicles.

When it came to observing the roundabout just outside Pak’nSave Whangārei, this reporter noticed that in half an hour there were about 60 vehicles coming from Reyburn St to the city centre which did not indicate and about 44 vehicles travelling from the city centre to Reyburn St which indicated, but incorrectly.

Redfern said the results didn’t surprise him.

“The problem is most people have been either taught incorrectly or have learned by watching how everyone else does it, and that’s how they screw up.

“You see, the rules exist for a reason ... and if you don’t follow [them], then you’re just volunteering to be part of a crash someday.”

Northland road police manager Anne-Marie Fitchett said their statistics found that areas from Kawakawa to Waimā (SH1), Pakaraka to Waipapa (SH10), the Tikipunga area (between the falls and Ngunguru Ford Rd) and pathways between Kaitāia and Awanui were “overrepresented” in terms of crash areas last year.

Driving instructor Neville Redfern says following the most basic rules, such as wearing a seatbelt, could save your life. Photo / Tania Whyte

However, she said the police had a more “basic” focus to prevent any serious or fatal crashes. Their priority was to encourage people to wear seatbelts and not exceed the speed limit.

In July, police hit a record high of issuing 376 seatbelt infringements this year.

“People don’t seem to understand that not only are they putting their lives at risk, but also their passengers, who may have [their seatbelts] on - because before you go out of the windscreen, you potentially risk hitting the person beside [you].”

Fitchett said they were also penalising people who believed they could get away with the additional 10km/h speed tolerance policy.

“We are issuing tickets for those not only going over that limit, but also matching or going a bit under it. This is to reduce crashes [and] save lives, and is well-thought-out.”

Redfern concurred with her assessment and felt people should make an effort to update themselves with the rules.

He agreed with this reporter’s idea for people to take a revision driving lesson every 15 years.

“I feel defensive driving should be made mandatory, and then people could be advised to take them at that period just to play catch-up. You’d be surprised how much you forget in that time.”

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.