Photo: VTNZ
Learner drivers are booking their tests before they are even ready because wait times have stretched out to over a month, a driving instructor says.
The average wait time to sit a full licence test is 45 days.
To sit a test for a restricted licence the average wait is 53 days, but for some regions that number is higher - in Canterbury it is 61 days.
In October, the government brought in an all-in-one fee for each stage of a driver licence which removed re-sit fees, prompting a hike in people sitting their learner's test.
This lead to some people re-sitting their theory test more than once in a single day. Some had not even read or learnt the road rules, the transport authority said.
A stand down period after two failed attempts on the same day was subsequently brought in.
But North shore driving instructor Matthew Campbell says now they are having to book practical tests for students who aren't ready to sit them because of the long wait times.
Some learners were also forgoing lessons altogether and "learning by test-fails", Campbell told Checkpoint.
"We predicted this would happen, you know what's the point of getting lessons when you can get free re-sits instead," he said.
"Tests are failing quite often for silly reasons. I sometimes sit in the testing carpark and I just see tests go out and ten minutes later they come back...some don't leave the carpark because they've got an unroadworthy car".
Not checking blindspots or failing to signal properly on a roundabout were common mistakes.
A couple of lessons with an instructor and a couple of mock tests was what people often needed, he said.
Campbell said learner drivers should have 120 hours of driving experience before going for a test.
He also thought the free re-sits should be canned and the government should fund a few free lessons instead.
"But even if it's gone tomorrow, the waitlists are still blown out so it's going to be a problem for months."
Waka Kotahi concedes the free re-sits have resulted in demand significantly exceeding testing capacity.
