Driving school happy with plan

The Labour Party’s promise to provide funding so students can sit their licence at high school will not affect the new driving school at Manfeild, its programme leader says.

National Driver Training Centre project leader Michael Barbour said should the policy come into force, it would not be in competition with the centre and would likely send more students its way if everybody worked together.

Steering Aotearoa lets secondary school students achieve at least a learner or restricted licence, associated NCEA credits and a defensive driving certificate before they enter the work force.

The programme took full flight earlier this year after a trial involving Feilding High School students in December was successful.

Barbour said Labour’s interests aligned with what the course was trying to achieve.

‘‘We all recognise that the lack of a driver licence is a significant barrier for youth seeking employment, which negatively impacts the social and economic viability of communities.’’

Training had to be individualised and, under the proposed policy, if schools got instructors into the classroom to teach, it would not be as effective as a course taken through the centre, Barbour said.

‘‘Driver training is a minefield – some students learn it in five hours and some take 25.’’

The centre used the back track of Manfeild’s motor racing circuit as a safe place for young drivers to practise for their restricted licence.

‘‘There’s lots of space where they can’t hit anything. It’s designed to be as reallife as possible.’’

The centre also had a simulator to prepare students for different hazards they might encounter on the road.

‘‘You can programme a dog to run out across the road and it shows you just how little time there is to react,’’ Barbour said.

A recent restricted licence graduate of the programme, Nelly Skelton, said she was happy with the training she had received.

‘‘The course gave me more practical experience on the road and has made me a more safety-aware driver.’’

Her mother, Ali Skelton, was also happy and said the cost of the programme was worth it.

‘‘We weighed up the cost against its potential to help our daughter achieve her goal to drive with some independence with our need to ensure her safety.’’

She said she was satisfied that this had been achieved.

The cost of the course and sitting the test ranged between $180 and $590.