Crash Profile of New Zealand Novice Drivers

The New Zealand Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) is designed to
allow novice drivers to mature and gain driving experience under conditions of
reduced risk. To examine the effectiveness of the GDLS, the Ministry of
Transport undertook an analysis to understand how the crash involvement of
novice drivers change as they moved through the New Zealand GDLS. Crash
profiles were created by data matching of the New Zealand licence and crash
databases, covering a time period from 1999-2006. These crash profiles show
that the initial learner period of the GDLS is relatively safe and the time at which
novice drivers are involved in the highest number of crashes, is during the first
few months of solo driving. In addition, individuals who gained a full licence
within 12-18 months of holding a restricted licence had a higher risk of crashing
than individuals who gained a full licence after 18 months. Analysis using
logistic regression also showed an effect of age and gender with younger
drivers and males both having higher levels of crash risk. Ultimately the crash
profiles demonstrate the importance of both age and experience on the crash
involvement of novice drivers and the benefits of the learner period and
restricted period of the New Zealand GDLS.