Pre-licence driving experience in newly licensed Maori drivers: New Zealand Drivers Study

Despite recent reductions in motor vehicle injury rates in New Zealand, the rates for young drivers and especially young Māori drivers remain disproportionately high. This is commonly associated with driver inexperience and led to the development of road safety initiatives such as graduated driver licensing to increase beginner driver experience in low risk situations. There is anecdotal evidence that many newly licensed drivers in New Zealand have had some pre-licence driving experience, but no scientific research has been done to explore this issue. This paper describes a study of pre-licence driving experience in a cohort of newly licensed Māori drivers and its relationship with rural or urban locality. Results will be presented that describe and compare the pre-licence driving experience in the cohort of 824 Māori drivers. This will identify any fundamental differences or similarities by locality within this high risk driving population at the time of licensure.