Where NZ's worst learner drivers live

Where NZ's worst learner drivers live

Our worst drivers appear to live in Lower Hutt, according to the latest data on driver tests.

Just 37 percent of drivers passed their restricted driver's licence test at Lower Hutt VTNZ last year, compared to 85 percent at Auckland's VTNZ North Shore.

Full license pass rates for 2015 are a better read, with nearly everybody getting the thumbs up in Invercargill, Kaitaia and Whanganui.

However, drivers at AA Ashburton had the worst full license pass rates in the country, sitting at 55 percent.

NZ driver licence pass rates

The practical driving tests were changed in 2012 to make them harder to pass and encourage drivers to get at least 120 hours of supervised driving before going for their licence.

It followed research which showed young drivers who have at least that much experience on their learner's licence had a solo-driving crash rate 40 percent lower than those who'd done just 50 hours.

NZ Transport Agency national manager for delivery Robyn Elston says the figures can't necessarily be comparable to each other.

She says there are a number of factors which can influence pass rates and even differences at a single site year by year - including the number of tests at each site and how prepared the drivers are.

"For example, at some sites testing officers have reported that driving instructors are presenting large numbers of students for tests who are well-prepared and confident, which is having a positive impact on pass rates in those locations."

She says the results don't show that the test is easier at certain testing sites.

"It's important to note that a higher or a lower pass rates for an individual site does not necessarily mean that an individual driver is more or less likely to pass the test at that site."

Since the harder test was put in place, the pass rate had gone from 40 percent to 60 percent currently.

There are also similar differences in the theoretical test with current pass rates ranging from 55 percent to 90 percent across the country.

Ms Elston says pass rates for the theory test, a randomly generated set of multiple choice questions from the Road Code, depend on how well learner drivers have prepared.

Newshub.