The Justice and Community Safety Directorate has invited community comments on proposed changes to the ACT’s road rules as they apply to young drivers.
Minister for Road Safety, Shane Rattenbury said research showed that introducing the range of measures could lead to a 50 per cent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes.
Mr Rattenbury launched Your PLates: Reviewing the Process from L Plates to No Plates, which includes seven measures proven to save young lives across the country, and noted that between 2006 and 2017, 15 drivers aged 17–24 were killed in the ACT.
He said the changes include a requirement that learner drivers must hold their licence for at least a year and complete a minimum of 100 supervised driving hours, including 10 hours at night.
Mr Rattenbury said there will also be a new P1 plate that will target restrictions for the first 12 months, so new drivers safely gain more experience, while the licence length remains three years.
He said P1 drivers will be prohibited from driving between midnight and 5 am and will be limited to one passenger aged 16–24 in the car.
Mr Rattenbury said offences will attract a maximum of four lost points for three years, and L, P1 and P2 drivers will be barred from using mobile phones, including hands-free.
He said learner drivers must successfully complete a computer-based test to recognise dangerous situations and react safely before being eligible for their P plates.
“Our community has a responsibility to provide greater protection for young drivers while they are at their most vulnerable stage of driving,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“We know that drivers are most likely to have a crash in the first year of the P licence.”
He said the main causes of young driver crashes are inexperience, inattention, distracted driving and speeding.
“All of these things we can do something about,” Mr Rattenbury said.
He said there was no one solution, which is why he is looking at a range of approaches that work together to reduce the risk for young and new drivers.
“Feedback from the community will inform the timing of introduction of reforms, the appropriate staging of restrictions to P drivers and the design and application of any exemptions,” Mr Rattenbury said.
The community survey can be completed on the YourSay website at this PS News link and a 10-page discussion guide can be downloaded from this link.
