I personally reckon that it should stay as is! god for the city people who dont have to worry about getting places have the prevleges of public transport .dont care about contry teenagerss who have driven practally there whole life !its not the age limit its the ability (experience).!

I think the driving age should be raised to 65.

@ #62 and #63 - ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON!

Also, any changes need to be supplemented by a requirement that learners are actually taught by skilled instructors. In most European countries you would stand no chance at all of passing a test if your lessons only came from your parents - and some countries require validated proof that you have had the lessons and that your instructor says you are ready for the test before you can even sit it!

When you go to Uni to study, you don't get your lectures from your parents, do you? So why should they have the ability to teach you the skills required to drive a lethal weapon (to yourself and others) on a public road?

It is plain old common sense - something we Kiwis do not seem to be very good at. Just find the country with the best learner training and copy what they do - no need to re-invent the wheel (again!).

the cost of freedom isnt cheap, hence the road toll.

I'd support limiting the cc rating of cars younger drivers can use... only if they did the same for older drivers as well.

Older people who drive badly 'because they've been driving for 60 years' would be just as scary behind the wheel of a high-powered car as a younger irresponsible driver.

I wholeheartedly agree with more intensive driver training before a full licence is issued. A good point was raised earlier about our lack of a cohesive public transport system - if you're going to take people off the roads for longer, there needs to be an alternative.

Also - re Steve #64

How about actually making the teenagers responsible for attempting to purchase booze whilst underage??? Why should the liquor store owner be the only one punished in these situations? And what deterrant is there to kids to not exploit the situation and try it on? I know my brother and I both looked much older when we were 17 and we all got away with buying booze underage, with other people's ids and everything. Where was my deterrent?? My punishment?? You want to destroy someone's livelyhood for mistakenly not noticing that the person in the id wasn't them? Or for believing that someone was over 18 but have no recourse on the kids that are going to be drinking the booze, getting wasted and potentially harming themselves or others? How is that fair?

Wow that was a rant... sorry.

I only recently got my Restricted licence at age 24 and I was appalled at the scarily easy test I took to get it. It was over in 15 mins tops, I didn't go on the motorway, didn't go around a round about, didn't parallel park, no reversing around a corner or into a driveway (which I think is a dumb thing to do regardless but it's supposed to be something you should be competent at according to the Road Code).

I don't think that as a learner driver I was any better at driving than a 15 year old by virtue of age. Perhaps by virtue of attitude give that I didn't think I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof as some young people do but I think it's a bit unfair to generalise that all teens are like that.

Driver education and actually making people prove in the tests that they can drive in varied situations (different speed limits / driving in carparks / motorways) is the way forward.

Until we teach new drivers the basics and confirm that they can perform them on their own there will always be problems regardless of age.

Thank you hmc #68! I completely agree.

As for the rest of you, why are you so nasty about 15 year olds. They are a lot more mature than you people give them credit for. I learned to drive at 15, and I feel I, and many others, were mature enough at that age. Sure, some people aren't, but then there are plenty of older people who aren't mature enough to be driving. Scrap this idea, and maybe focus on teaching the driving as opposed to limiting the age.

"New Zealand needed safer roads, better trained drivers..." - so making people need to be older to get the licence "magically" makes them better training? Ah, no! Promote defensive driving courses! Maybe make a new one for people on their learners. Perhaps if the learner time is extended, which could be a good idea, make a course enabling people to get time off it, just like the restricted does. There are other ways to make people better drives. Making them learn once they're older is not the way.

The most dangerous drivers out there aren't the teens. They're the middle aged people born in th 50's and 60's with massive ego's. These people didn't have to sit learner liscence. Just the one practical and there you go. They're the ones who should be forced to be retrained as they hardly indicate we're they're going, slow down when the road changes to one lane then speed up when there's a passing lane.

More nanny state!