Driving & Licensing

Mercury Bay Grey Power member, David Yeomans notes car buyers seldom ask about a vehicle’s wading depth, driving through water or any ‘submarine’ features it may have. It prompted him to raise the issue here. In lay terms, ‘water wading depth’ is the measurement stated by the vehicle manufacturer as...

There is an ongoing lack of consistency in GP evaluations of senior drivers for their licence renewals throughout New Zealand. Our ongoing national and local publicising of this discriminatory situation has achieved some practical improvements as outlined below: NZTA took steps in late 2024/early 2025 to address the long...

Getting out and about and doing the things you have always done is an important part of staying independent. When that becomes difficult, Freedom Drivers offer a safe, trustworthy and caring service, which is much more than just transport, for people of all ages. “Our drivers provide all kinds of...

Despite issues raised with NZTA by Grey Power last year, clarity about the use of cognitive tests by GPs for renewal of driving licences for seniors has not been forthcoming in the new guidelines. It appears that the NZTA feels powerless to direct how medical professionals should act when evaluating...

Grey Power continues to receive requests from members who are being challenged by the requirement for a cognitive test when applying to their GP for licence renewals. This is NOT a legal requirement, but a choice which some GPs and GP practices have made. It has caused enormous stress and confusion,...

Thanks for all the feedback which continues to come in regarding the unfairness and variability in the medical assessment of those 75+ seeking to renew their licences. Grey Power is still awaiting the draft revised Medical Aspects of Fitness to Drive from NZTA hoping it provides some better guidance to...