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Young Driver Safety and Graduated Licensing Discussion Paper

Wellington Shire Council has welcomed the Victorian Government’s Discussion Paper-Young Driver Safety and Graduated Licensing, and is urging residents to read it and provide comments by 11 November 2005.

By Wellington Shire Council - 4th October 2005 - Back to News

The Discussion Paper has been prepared to raise awareness of safety issues facing young drivers and to encourage Victorians to contribute to improving their safety.

Some of the proposed measures outlined in the Discussion Paper include;

  • Extending the minimum Learner period from six to 12 months and requiring learners to complete a minimum of 120 hours supervised driving practice.
  • Introducing a new, more restricted one year P1 licence and encouraging P1 drivers to restrict driving late at night or with multiple passengers followed by a three year P2 licence.
  • Requiring young drivers to have a good driving record in order to progress through licensing stages from P1 to P2 to Full Licence
  • Banning mobile phone use of any kind for all Learner and P1 drivers.
  • Introducing alcohol ignition interlocks for drink driving offenders with a BAC of 0.05 or greater on any licence when aged less than 25 years, for a minimum of six months.

Wellington Shire Council’s representative on East Gippsland Road Safe, Neil Breeden said: "It’s a sound road safety initiative based on the disproportionate number of P plate drivers involved in road accidents and is certainly worthy of extensive consideration and discussion."

"Statistics show that in the first 12 months the number of P platers involved in motor vehicle accidents is disproportionately high."

The Discussion Paper shows that probationary drivers are three times more likely to be involved in casualty crashes than experienced drivers, and whilst only making up 13% of all licensed drivers, the 18-25 age group account for around 27% of all driver deaths.

Wellington Traffic Management Unit officer-in-charge Sergeant David Hynd said that the proposed measures in the Discussion Paper could help cut the number of road accidents and fatalities of local young drivers.

Sgt Hynd said: "I’m particularly in favour of the proposed rule to encourage passenger restrictions, especially at night, because it’s a measure that could save local lives and reduce the number of significant injuries in the event of a crash."

The Discussion Paper shows that half of fatal crashes for first year drivers occurs late at night or with multiple passengers and that 26% of first year drivers involved in fatal crashes are carrying two or more passengers.

Sgt Hynd said he had seen a lot of tragic accidents locally involving young drivers and believed the proposed new graduated licensing system would be an asset to existing safety measures.

The graduated licensing system means that drivers aged 18-19 will be issued a P1 licence, which lasts for a year and has more restrictions then the next phase of license, P2.

The P2 licence will be issued for three years, and can only be obtained if the driver has a good record on their P1 licence. This means the total time for the probationary license will be extended by one year, to total four years.

Sgt Hynd said: "Having a good driving record to progress to the next phase of licensing will definitely be beneficial to the existing system; hopefully it will encourage younger drivers to follow the rules or face punishment of an extended license period."

The new graduated licensing system also means that an extra year is added to the zero tolerance of alcohol consumption for probationary drivers.

"I am in favour of the zero tolerance alcohol consumption for probationary drivers considering how alarming statistics are showing that alcohol is involved in 21% of 18-20 year old driver deaths and 50% of 21-25 year old driver deaths."

Wellington Chief Executive Officer Lyndon Webb said: "I encourage members of the community to attend the meetings which will provide details about young drivers’ crash risk and what can be done to improve their safety, and to read and comment on the Young Driver Safety and Graduated Licensing Discussion Paper.

"It’s a great opportunity to have a say on the proposed legislature to make sure it best meets the needs of our community."

Young Drivers Safety Information Sessions will run from 4:30pm – 6pm and will be held across Gippsland at:

  • Bairnsdale, Wednesday 12th October, East Gippsland TAFE (Auditorium)- 48 Main St
  • Churchill, Wednesday 26th October, Monash University (Lecture Theatre 4N120)-Northways Rd

Those wishing to attend an information session need to telephone (03) 9854 2206 – at least two days before the session to reserve a seat.

Copies of the Discussion Paper are available at:

www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au

www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au

Vic Roads Customer Service Centers

Or call 13 11 71 to have one sent to you.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: support@gippsland.com



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