LEARNER drivers in many Sydney suburbs are failing their driving tests at twice the rate of their regional counterparts, a new report from the NSW Auditor-General shows.

All of the Roads and Traffic Authority testing centres with the 20 highest pass rates are in rural or regional areas, with Narooma, Bega and Crookwell passing more than 85per cent of drivers.

Bombala comes in at a very impressive 84%.

Most of the centres with the lowest rates were in Sydney, with Maroubra in Sydney’s east only passing 43per cent of learner drivers. Others with well-below average pass rates include Marrickville, Silverwater, Bondi Junction, and Lidcombe.

Driving instructor Harry Fanakis, from Focus Driving School in Maroubra, was not surprised.

“Some courses are easier, some courses are harder. If you’re doing a test in a country town where there’s only one roundabout then there’s more chance of passing,” he said.

“But if you’re a good driver it doesn’t matter where you do the driving test.”

His client, Harry Aboud, 19, who is going for his driving test at Bondi Junction soon, wasn’t perturbed, “It doesn’t bother me at all,” he said.

The RTA chief executive, Michael Bushby, said the RTA strived for test uniformity, but the difference in traffic conditions and customer bases would always produce some variance in results.

The state government and RTA have pledged to investigate the disparity outlined in the report, which also examined the effects of the changes to the learner and provisional driving rules over the last ten years.

The report found stricter rules and longer periods spent on P-plates have helped reduce fatal accidents among young drivers by 51per cent in the last ten years, but said more needed to be done to improve safety.

The fall in accidents had not been uniform, with fatal crash rates falling 68per cent among city drivers aged under 26 in 2009-2010 compared to 1999-2000, but only 25per cent in country areas.

Among Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat’s recommendations was a renewed call for a late-night curfew for P1, or red P-plate, drivers, between 11pm and 5am on Friday and Saturday nights, and extending current passenger restrictions so P1 drivers can only carry one young passenger at a time.

The report also recommends investigating the feasibility of psychological testing for serious or repeat offenders.

“You do a theory test to see if you have the knowledge to drive a car, you do a practical test to see if you have the skills to drive a car, you should do an attitude test to see if you have the maturity to drive a car,” Mr Acherstraat said.