Conquering the Fab Four

Helen Hayes and her family check the stunning resorts around Queenstown.

Anything but walk in park

IT HAS become part of the Australian Grand Prix tradition.

If at first you don't succeed, embrace the reprieve

I LEFT the house with a steady purposeful stride, and crept back, head bowed, three hours later. The cat looked up at me as I opened the front door. "Mummy failed," I pronounced sepulchrally. She sniffed my knee and blinked.

Overtaken by doubt, as life changes direction

THE office of VicRoads had a tense atmosphere. There was a short queue for the driving tests counter: three people in front of me, looking casual, jangling with nerves. I got to the counter. "I'm here for a thingie," I said, and proffered my crumpled printout.

The lure of the deep

THEY call it "laying new line". And in the language of cave divers, it is about marking virgin territory, going where no one has gone before you. And it's what drives you.

Far away in time

Beyond red dust and pindan, Cameron Wilson tags turtles at an eco-beach resort south of Broome.

Dumbrell's team gives Luff a second chance

ABU DHABI: Today's opening race of the V8 Supercars season at the Yas Marina Circuit will be Warren Luff's first as a full-time driver since 2006, but he is back with plenty to prove driving for Lucas Dumbrell's Gulf Western Oil Racing team.

SALARY SPOTLIGHT

DRIVING INTRUCTORS

Learner drivers not as good as they think they are

LEARNER drivers are over-confident and less skilled than they believe they are, says an NRMA survey of more than 700 learners to be released today.

Short Cuts

Sticky situation Here's why it can be dangerous to pick up hitchhikers - especially good-looking ones. Anadel Carrizales was driving along a highway in Mexico when he was flagged down by a blonde wearing a black miniskirt.

Odd Spot

A DRIVING theory test on 400 Malaysian driving instructors resulted in 65 per cent of them failing. At a seminar in Perak, 396 instructors were asked to take the exam and only 35 per cent passed, said state road department director Mohamad Yasir Mastakim.

Who'd Be A ...driving Instructor

Trudy Tranquillo claims to be the best driving instructor in Victoria after just 11 years in the business. "I bought the business with my husband and was a driving instructor for six years. I thought it would be a good way to work with people; a good way to get out and about and not stay in one place too long. We have about 28 instructors now - most of them working full-time - and about 1800 students. As the co-ordinator I answer the phones, deal with drivers' problems and deal with VicRoads. You ...

Hundreds Of Truckies And Motorcyclists May Have Dodgy Licences

HUNDREDS of truck drivers and motorcyclists given licences by a company embroiled in Victoria's largest bribes-for-licences scandal remain on the nation's roads, potentially posing a risk to other drivers. Mark La Vanda, 45, and his wife, Constable Natalie Syros, 32

School Leavers Need Driving Licences

ALL of us are saddened by the number of young people being killed in motor accidents.

So, You Think You Know The Road Rules

Once again young drivers are in the headlines for the wrong reasons. But are they unfairly targeted? Would the rest of us pass the driving test, asks the Drive team. Let's face it, many of our road rules have changed since Johnny O'Keefe was a hit - about the time baby boomers got their driving licences.

Driving Instructors Under Review

THE STATE Government is assembling members of a working committee to review the standards and training of Victoria's driving instructors. The committee will have three months to come up with a blueprint for change to what most sane motoring countries would regard as a hideous joke - a system that la

Bad Habits Are Driving Motorists To Despair

Melbourne drivers are too aggressive, inconsiderate and generally feel they should be respected by other road users, according to driving instructors, the police and the RACV. An Age poll of the worst habits of Melbourne drivers has found that many are prepared to break the law and put themselves

State To End Checks On Driving Teachers

POLICE checks on driving instructors will be abolished under a State Government revamp of licence testing that from next week will allow anyone with a driver's licence to go into business teaching learner drivers. Ms Eunice Walters, the president of the Victorian Motor Schools Association, which

Driving Schools Warning

A survey revealing that Asian women learning to drive in Sydney's west have an 80 per cent failure rate has prompted calls for a crackdown on driving instructors. The Roads and Traffic Authority survey showed that the average failure rate of Asian drivers in Fairfield, Merrylands and Live

Driving Instructors Face 50 Hours' Study

The State's 2,600 driving instructors will have to spend up to 50 hours studying the theory behind their job before they can stay on the road. The Government has introduced a new training course in commercial driving instruction which instructors have to complete within three years.