The Daily Mercury reported that the reason behind it is to help “Queensland’s most vulnerable drivers to stay safe on the roads”.

“The Learn2go app allows young drivers to learn the essential driving skills and to record their on-road experience in an efficient and practical way,” RACQ Group CEO, Ian Gillespie, said.

Of course, some of the new technology wrinkles are still being ironed out.

We have some more information on the Keys2Drive lesson offer on our site, another initiative by the Queensland Government to motivate young drivers to start driving lessons and further driving learning.

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“Driver training focused on vehicle handling skills can make drivers more efficient at vehicle handling; however this does not necessarily make them safer since they may become over-confident,” the research paper stated.

A positive finding did result however… Paper author, Dr Vanessa Beanland, said that professional driving lessons and resilience training (i.e. attitudes to risky behaviour such as alcohol and drug use) were found to improve road safety.

The research also found that learner drivers were less likely to crash when supervised by a professional, rather than a relative or friend.

“Crashes do occur during professional lessons, however, they are less serious, most are low-speed crashes in urban areas, such as rear-end collisions, whereas during lay supervision high speed crashes in rural areas are more common,” the paper said.

Northside Driver Training thinks that learner drivers perhaps feel less nervous around a professional, unbiased instructor, who is not ever going to yell, swear, or worry over rookie mistakes.

While parents may think teaching their son or daughter to drive “saves money”, when they consider that $600 is the average insurance excess for motor vehicle damage by a driver under 24, and that the chance of accident rises with nervousness, then the price of a few lessons is minor in comparison. North Brisbane Driving Lessons start from just $60 each, or less for multiple lessons.

Source: BrisbaneTimes Driving News, April 2012.

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That’s why it’s so strange when it all goes wrong when novices take a driving test. The most recent was a Korean women inadvertently made a YouTube hit, by rolling the vehicle within 10 seconds of getting in the car to take the test. The instructor was shouting “brake, brake”, but she couldn’t aim straight, much less know which pedal the brake was!!  (Full story here)

The Aussie Ute – an Icon, but not one for the Unwary Driver

No-one injured when this ute crashed into a living room in Mill Park, Vic, June 2013. (news.com.au)

Taking a test in a high-powered vehicle can have its downsides. One teen boy in 2011 crushed his own mother’s legs (she was outside sitting) as he pulled into the Transport and Main Roads at Zillmere, mistaking the accelerator for the brake. That was at the end of his Driving Test, and nearly the end of her leg, but surgery saved it. It seems a wee bit dangerous doing driving a ute with a bullbar when he was inexperienced.

After reading of six fatalities involving just utes over the past two years, one could say that the false sense of security provided by utes are just that – false. Other tragedies involve an unlicensed teen driving a farm ute just a little way (Ophelia Silcox, 14, died). Another ute driver (65, NSW) ploughed into a motorcyclist, killing him in 2011. He had not held a license since 1970. And he was drunk (0.2). Um, no license means no driving…

Whether you learn to drive in a safe, dual-controlled car with a qualified instructor, and do the test in a similar vehicle, or whether you take out a vehicle built for off-roading with huge bullbars, legally it’s up to you. But remember these stories, and remember to get your license safely.

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News.com.au Confidential reports that the Frenchman took a driving lesson in his silver Renault Koleos. Nice ride, but we at Northside Driver Training prefer to instruct new drivers in a late model Suzuki Swift, with dual controls and a really small turning circle.

Manu’s story proves that you don’t need to be young to brush up on driving skills and get your licence.

In fact, if you grew up in another country, you may be quite nervous about Australian roads and rules.

The good news is, the more you have a patient and courteous instructor with you while driving, the more comfortable you will become with our system and driving defensively in general. A good driving instructor will let you know all those little tips about driving in lanes, who gives way in a roundabout, driving slowly past schools, and so on.

What About Young Drivers?

We have all heard about the devastation caused after a car crashed that was driven by a youth without a licence or only on their Learners. Young guys and girls really want to drive and often will disregard their own safety (and a few laws) to have a go. While driving lessons may seem unaffordable to some sectors of the population in the Moreton Bay area, if it potentially saves the life of your son or daughter to drive a little better and react defensively, then it is well worthwhile.

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