The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has relaunched a campaign urging parents and carers to educate learner drivers about the hazards of night-time driving as the number of young people dying on the State’s roads increases.
Backing the safety plea, the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll said the relaunch of TAC’s Parental Control campaign came at the same time a disproportionate number of young drivers were being killed on Victorian roads.
“It is a sad reality that at any time of day, first-year P-platers are significantly more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than fully licensed drivers, and research shows that risk increases at night,” Mr Carroll said.
“Experience and maturity are crucial when it comes to the safety of young drivers – this campaign urges parents, guardians and supervisors to educate learners around the risks and ensure they get at least 20 hours of practice at night.”
He said that so far this year, young drivers aged between 18 and 25 had made up around 20 per cent of all driver fatalities, but this age group only accounted for approximately 10 per cent of all licence holders.
Mr Carroll said that of the 14 drivers in this age group killed in 2022, seven of the crashes occurred between 6pm and 6am.
“Research shows that in their first year on the roads, P-plate drivers are around seven times more likely to be killed or injured while driving at night, compared to fully licensed drivers,” the Minister said.
“On average, around 31 first-year P-platers are killed or seriously injured while driving at night in Victoria each year, with approximately 50,000 new drivers hitting the road annually.” He said.
