New England Online > Geography > Roads & Motorways > Driving in New England
Driving in New England
For the average New Englander, driving a motorcar or scooter is a daily part of life. The majority of New Englanders are capable of driving a motorcar of some kind or another, and usually do so from when they become legally eligible at the age of sixteen. Despite having a very low car usage rate, many people still own a car to serve as means to transport when the trains or buses are not available or suitable. Driving is regulated by the New England Road Code, by which all motorists must conform to by law.
The highest level of ownership and use is for people aged between 25 and 45, which corresponds to age that most people choose to have a family. The most popular varieties of car are call European, with Peugeot being the most owned, followed by Citroën and Volkswagen. Cars older than twenty-five years cannot be registered or driven by law as they are considered unsafe and too dirty. Once a car becomes too old, it is sold for scrap and recycled.
Many younger New Englanders own a scooter or vespa (as pictured right) as opposed to a car which is far more expensive to refuel and maintain. The cost of running a scooter is about 10% of the cost of running even a small car. Scooters are particularly popular amongst university and polytechnic students and trade apprentices.
Driving Licences
By law, all motorists must have a valid Driving Licence before they can control a motorcar or scooter in New England. Depending on what level of licence they have, certain restrictions are placed on a driver that regulate the size of the vehicle they can drive and what maximum speed they can drive at. The minimum driving age is 16 (except bicycles), when Learner Driver may apply for a L1 Licence. From than on, motorists can apply for more unrestricted licences until they reach the level of D2.The licence categories are:
- A1 - Bicycle Licence (Must be over 10 years of age, and can ride any unmotorised bicycle)
- A2 - Scooter Licence (for motorised cycles under 100cc)
- A3 - Motorbike Licence (for motorised cycles over 100cc)
- B1 - Open Licence (Can drive any vehicle under 3500kgs, 3.0 litres and cannot exceed 125km/h)
- B2 - Utility Vehicle Licence* (for utility vehicles over 1 tonne)
- B3 - Agricultural Vehicle Licence* (For tractors and harvesters)
- B4 - A&E Licence (For A&E, Police, Fire and CDS Vehicles)*
- B5 - Ministry of Defence Licence*
- B6 - International Driver's Licence (For any driver from overseas who wishes to drive in New England)
- B7 - Diplomatic Licence (For any member of the Diplomatic Corps)
- C1 - Minibus Licence (Under 25 passengers)*
- C2 - Open Bus Licence (Over 25 passengers)*
- D1 - Small Goods Lorry (Under 7500kgs)*
- D2 - Large Goods Lorry (Over 7500kgs)*
- L1 - Learner Driver (May drive any vehicle under 5 seats, 2.0 litres and cannot exceed 80km/h)
- L2 - Restricted Learner's Licence (May drive any vehicle under 8 seats, 2.4 litres and cannot exceed 90km/h)
- T1 - Taxicab Licence* (May drive a Taxi Cab)
- T2 - Ministry of Transport Bus/Tram Licence (May drive for the Ministry of Transport)*
* These licences are only issued to members of certain Professional Guilds in New England.
As a rule, the higher the licence category, the more difficult it is for someone to obtain the licence. For example, D Class licences are restricted to just 500 at any given time, as well as need for the member to be in a guild that requires vehicles of this size. This is done to discourage heavy road transport and make roads safer for other users.
Road Rules and Signage
New England's road rules and signage are based loosely on the road codes of Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Most road signage is also identical to that used in New Zealand, although are some exceptions on motorways where the signage tends to be more British or German in appearance.
Some points of note:
- New Englanders drive on the left
- Seatbelts are compulsory
- Driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs is illegal, with the blood alcohol limit set to 0.02 for all drivers.
- By law, cars can be no bigger than four cylinder for "A" Class drivers. Those needing larger vehicles (4WD's and lorries) are required to sit for a different licence.
- Speed limits vary. The speed limit for most roads is 50 kph in urban areas and 90 kph in rural areas. The speed limit for motorways is 130km/hr, with some exceptions such as the North Hill and Madgwick Tunnels, which have a speed limit of 90 kph.
Vehicle Registration Plates
Introduced in 2015 to replace the old New South Wales licensing system, the New England system follows a roughly European model. There are no personal plates and an individual cannot request a specialist plate and no exceptions are made. The plates are also devoid of meaningless mottos and slogans.
All plates are issued to all cars, lorries, motorbikes and bicycles regardless of class or the owner. Plates are set out as one of the following:
- A) General Plates
- A single letter, denoting on which cycle the remaining letters were assigned. So far, these are:
- A - 2015 to 2039
- B - 2039 to 2050
- C - Since 2050
- A random set of three digits running from 000 to 999
- A random set of three letters running from AAA to ZZZ, but excluding any combination that is offensive, eg. GOD, DIE, etc.
- A single letter, denoting on which cycle the remaining letters were assigned. So far, these are:
- B) Diplomatic Plates
- The letters DC, denoting Diplomatic Corps
- Two letters denoting the country of origin of the diplomat, which is the usually the same as the ISO 3166-1
code. - A random set of three digits running from 000 to 999
- C) Transport Vehicle Plates
- The letters TX, denoting a special transport vehicle
- A random set of two letters running from AA to ZZ and a random set of four digits running from 0000 to 9999 together as a single digit
- D) Emergency Services Plates
- The letters EX, denoting an emergency services vehicle
- A single letter denoting the service that the vehicle belongs to, which are arranged as follows:
- A - Accident & Emergency
- C - Civil Defence Corps
- F - New England Fire Service
- M - Maritime Rescue Service
- P - Royal New England Constabulary
- E) New England Government Plates
- The letters GV, denoting Government Vehicle
- A random set of two letters running from AA to ZZ and a random set of three digits running from 000 to 999 together as a single digit
