AA free driving lesson reaches Auckland learners

The AA Driving School’s free driving lesson programme has reached Auckland.

More than 250 new drivers are expected to take part in the programme each month launched in New Zealand’s biggest city today.

They will join about 300 new drivers from most of the rest of New Zealand who sign up for their free driving lesson each month.

AA Driving School head Nigel Clark says he expects between 500-600 new learner drivers throughout New Zealand to take advantage of the offer and kick start the journey towards obtaining their full licence.

More than 1300 new drivers have participated in the programme since it began in Hamilton and Tauranga last July.

The rollout of the Auckland phase of the AA’s free driving lesson programme follows a successful three-month pilot programme where the reach of the offer was progressively expanded. In October the programme was officially launched in Wellington and the rollout continued.

Mr Clark says the Driving School team continued to learn more at each phase of the roll out.

“Auckland represents a little over half of the population we can reach with the AA Driving School so we needed to ensure everything was running smoothly with our systems before we opened the gates here.”

The free driving lesson programme is open to new drivers who have held their learner licence for less than two months and are either AA Members or the sons or daughters of AA Members.

“Over the next few months we’re going to be looking at ways of expanding the scope of the programme and we’re considering a number of options that could include more than a single free lesson,” Mr Clark says.

“Our goal is to help improve road safety outcomes by ensuring new drivers are better prepared to be unsupervised behind the wheel after they get their restricted licence.”

Half of the country’s newest motorists fail their restricted driving test because they are unprepared and potentially unsafe behind the wheel.

Mr Clark says higher testing standards introduced by the Transport Agency in February 2012 were part of a suite of changes designed to improve road safety outcomes.

“These higher testing standards mean learner drivers need to take more time to develop their skills and build a solid foundation for safe driving.”

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