Meet Emily – avid cyclist & DCN Chair
It might surprise you to know that the Chair of the governance group behind Driving Change is an avid cyclist who doesn’t regularly drive a car.
Meet Emily Reeves, by day she’s a mother, cyclist and the Training, Education and Product Design Manager at the AA Driving School, but in her spare time she is the elected leader of the Steering Group of Driving Change.
“I’ve been lucky enough as an adult to not need a car in my daily life, or to commute to work. For the better part of the last 10 years I’ve lived in places where I could walk or take public transport to work. For the last 4 years I’ve been cycling to work and I even cycled to work until 9 months pregnant. After living in the Netherlands about 6 years ago my love of cycling really grew. Once back in New Zealand I was keen to keep cycling. As a cyclist my interest in road safety grew and coupled with my job at the AA working in the driver training space I was acutely aware of the risks of cycling. I also believe knowing how to drive a car gives you better awareness on your bike… I’m a true believer in continuous improvement, we can always continue to learn and grow and driving is no different.”
Emily was elected to Chair the Driving Change Steering Group at the 2021 National Hui by the 90 network members in attendance. In her address to the room she didn’t talk at length about her role with the AA where she supports a network of national driving instructors with training and mentoring. Rather it was her lived experience that captured the hearts and minds of those in the room.
“I grew up living with my mom and older brother in Puyallup just outside of Seattle. Getting my licence was high on my list of goals as a teenager. In fact, one of my only goals. It represented freedom and without one I wasn’t able to get around or get a job. My mom was always busy working and we were often left at home alone without any transport options. I was taught to drive by my mom and aunt and while that practice was invaluable, in Washington state you have to take driver training to get a licence. This posed a great challenge for me. My mom wasn’t in a position to be able to pay for this but she found out that low income students could get a subsidy. My dad gave me the $40 I needed and I was able to take driver training in summer school and I got extra credits at school that counted toward graduation. I remember those classes today. I went to class 4 days a week for 4 weeks and on the 5th day we would go out and do practical drives as a group to review the skills we had learned through the week. It really felt like we were in an American movie where a group of kids pile into a car with an instructor and everyone is terrified. However it was a great learning tool. Not only learning about our own Driving but learning from mistakes made by others.”
Emily believes it is critical that the government recognise that a driver’s licence is more than a licence to drive. “It’s a licence to a meaningful and successful life. It opens so many doors to training, education and health. Especially in regions where public transport isn’t an option.”
“The funding model needs to be overhauled with a consideration for those who can’t afford a licence. A user pays system doesn’t work for so many of us. While many people can and do get licensed each year, there are thousands of people each year that would hugely benefit from access to training and licensing. Without that financial assistance they will continue to be locked out of the system.”
Emily joined the Driving Change leadership team in 2020 while on maternity leave. She was soo passionate about increasing access to driver education that she was calling into meetings while her daughter napped. Once back at work full-time there was an opening to lead the group and she jumped at the opportunity to make a difference.