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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-10-19 Daily Xml
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GRADUATED LICENSING SCHEME

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Road Safety. Can the minister please advise what changes the government is proposing for the graduated licensing system for young drivers?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister Assisting the Premier with South Australia's Strategic Plan, Minister Assisting the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education) (14:37): I thank the member for Taylor for her question: it is a very important question on a very important subject. Last week I released a discussion paper which flagged five new initiatives aimed at further reducing the over-representation of young drivers in the road toll. These initiatives have the potential to significantly reduce road trauma for young drivers in South Australia. They are not about making life tougher for young drivers: they are about protecting them and saving their lives.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: Over the last decade, more than 4,000 young people aged between 16 and 24 have been killed or seriously injured on our roads. Research shows that crashes are most likely to occur during the first six to 12 months of holding a provisional licence when the driver is least experienced and driving unsupervised. The initiatives reflect world's best practice, are evidence-based and have already been implemented to varying extents in other Australian states and territories. The initiatives include:

Passenger restrictions for all P1 drivers, allowing no more than one passenger under 21 for the duration of their P1 licence, with exemptions for immediate family members or for employment or if a qualified supervising driver is present.

A restriction on driving between midnight and 5am for all P1 drivers for the duration of their P1 licence, again, with exemptions for work-related driving or if a qualified supervising driver is present.

Raising the minimum age for provisional licences from 17 to 18 years, meaning drivers cannot drive solo until they are at least 18 years of age.

Extending the total minimum provisional licence period from two to three years and removing regression to a previous licence stage.

Raising the minimum driving age will largely eliminate crashes involving 16 to 17 year old drivers, resulting in an estimated reduction of 60 to 70 fatal and serious injury crashes each year. Similarly, we will potentially see between 12 and 17 fewer fatal injuries each year by introducing passenger restrictions for P1 drivers. Night-time driving restrictions could also potentially result in eight to 12 fewer fatal and serious injuries each year.

As a community, we all have a responsibility to provide greater protection for young drivers while they are at their most vulnerable stages of driving. Some of these initiatives may affect the independence of young drivers and their families and friends, and this is particularly true in rural communities and disadvantaged groups. However, young drivers in rural South Australia are 2½ times more likely to die or be injured in a crash than their peers in metropolitan Adelaide.

There is also a belief in the community that road fatalities and serious injuries are largely the result of risk taking or extreme behaviour but, in fact, over half of all fatal crashes and 90 per cent of injury crashes are the result of mistakes or common lapses in judgement. I urge members opposite, particularly the shadow spokesperson on road safety, the member for Kavel, to put in a response to the discussion paper. He has been strangely quiet lately and I note that he failed to put in a submission to our recently released Road Safety Strategy—Towards Zero Together.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: Well, he has a chance now.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: He has a chance now, as do all South Australians.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: He has a chance now, Madam Speaker, as do all South Australians. The discussion paper is open for public comment until 9 December, so there is plenty of time for him to start working on a response. The initiatives flagged in the discussion paper—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: —particularly raising the driver licensing age, are consistent with the advice from recent Adelaide Thinker in Residence, Professor Fred Wegman, who also advocated that there should be an increase in the minimum driving age to reduce the number of young people killed or injured on South Australian roads. I urge anyone with an interest in road safety to make a contribution to this important discussion.

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