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DRIVER
EDUCATION
28 October 2009
Mrs PENFOLD (Flinders) (17:25): This bill
strengthens South Australia's graduated vehicle
licensing scheme for inexperienced drivers, and it will hopefully help to
save some lives.
I have been reassured that vehicle restrictions will not affect young
people who are driving trucks in our regional
areas. With the first good harvest expected for many years, every driver
will be needed, and I would not like to see any
problems caused by the new act. Can the minister also
confirm that there will be no problems that will inadvertently affect
current truck drivers in their employment?
Driver safety education programs in all South Australian secondary schools
are also needed to highlight the dangers of speed,
the effect of alcohol and other drugs on drivers'
capability, and any other relevant topics relating to driver and passenger
safety. I have been pleased to note that many of
the secondary schools on Eyre Peninsula have already undertaken
driver training in an effort to reduce accidents.
This positive and proactive position to reduce fatalities amongst drivers
under 25 must be taken seriously, particularly in
our regional areas, where accidents are many and transport options
are so few. I commend the sponsorship of Iluka Resources, which
funded a presentation by the Department for
Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, the Far West Road Safety Group, the
District Council of Ceduna, SA Police and Kalari
Pty Ltd to educate children about road trains. Iluka's
community relations officer, Karen Cosgrove, said:
...integrating road train safety into general road safety education
programs by raising awareness and promoting the
safety aspects associated with road trains travelling along the Eyre highway
and through Ceduna is important for the safety of
school children.
Schoolchildren had an opportunity to see a road train up close and learn
first-hand from the driver how to be safe
pedestrians around heavy vehicles. They were also able to take a drive in
the Kalari driver simulator and discuss safety
with different community representatives. Young adults aged
17 to 24 years of age make up only 11 per cent of the total
population but account for 28 per cent
of all road fatalities and 27 per cent of serious injuries.
Apart from the suffering of victims and their loved ones, the financial cost
of fatalities and injuries to the South Australian
community is more than $900 million per year. It would seem,
therefore, that the cost of driver education in schools would be more
than offset by a reduction in accidents that
result in death and injury, many of which happen in regional areas where
there are no taxis or bus services.
Even quite experienced drivers can be traumatised by unexpected happenings
on the road. A person who has never experienced a
tyre blowing out when driving can have virtually no
appreciation of the sudden and severe pull that is put on the
steering wheel, and which, because of its
swiftness, cannot be corrected in time to avoid going onto the wrong side of
the road or off the road and, possibly, into an
obstacle such as a tree.
In an article in the RAA magazine SA Motor, the Minister for Road Safety
said that many drivers involved in fatalities have
a previous serious driving conviction. He said:
To make significant inroads into SA's casualty and fatality rate we're
going to have to address that group, which is why
we are now classifying them as 'criminal drivers'.
These are the ones who most need driver education, but it needs to be
proactively undertaken before they incur driving
convictions and not as a reaction afterwards, when lives may have already
been lost.
However, mandatory sentencing can be unjust. It allows no recognition of
circumstances or the effect of the sentencing. For
example, for a country person to lose their licence, particularly a
farmer, or those who do not live in a town, it has a much harsher
effect because there is no alternative
transport as there is for people who live in the city where public transport
is available. Conditional exemptions are required
to ensure fairness in some circumstances, and I am pleased
to see that they are included in this bill.
An example of where the implications of mandatory sentencing have a severe
impact has recently come to my attention. A
country driver from a remote area, when visiting other areas of the
state, regularly drove an elderly frail friend as a passenger.
Unfortunately, the driver was involved in an
accident and her dear friend was killed. The driver is a strong community
advocate and volunteer. At the court hearing the
magistrate referred to the driver's personal character and, given
the circumstances, awarded the minimum
mandatory sentence and declined to set a fine or court
costs.
The driver has to live with the loss of a friend, but the long-term
ramifications of dealing with a loss of licence
while living in a remote area without transport choices and the knowledge
that driving with an at-risk passenger could
create further risk has had an enormous, long-term effect.
This driver highlighted the implications for carers who regularly
drive an elderly, frail, sick or at-risk person.
Any minor accident could put these passengers more at risk of death or
serious injury than other able-bodied passengers
due to their being more physically vulnerable. In turn, this has grave
consequences for the driver. Because they could incur a mandatory
sentence if an accident occurred, it makes them
review their carer-driver role for self-preservation. The negative effect of
this will be that frail, aged or at-risk people will not be able to
enjoy mobility by having a driver take them places
they want or need to go.
The number of unlicensed drivers picked up for traffic violations is
considerable, and no amount of so-called
punishment will change that—even if the offender is gaoled for a
considerable time. Upon release from gaol the
offender is likely to begin driving again
immediately, with or without licence. Unlicensed
drivers do not carry a notice on their forehead or have an unusual
shade of hair so they can be identified from a distance.
Unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles need some other method by which
they can be recognised. Today's science can
provide answers. For instance, it has been suggested
interstate that unregistered vehicles have a reflective mark that can
be picked up from a distance, thus identifying the
vehicle as being unregistered. A person who has committed a number of
serious driving offences could be microchipped. Again, the microchip
could be picked up at a distance.
Larger penalties, such as heavier fines, gaol sentences, confiscation and
possible crushing of vehicles, and cancellation of
a driver's licence do not of themselves change the behaviour of the
core people who ignore the law. More innovation and lateral thinking
is required. A number of
propositions—
Mrs Geraghty interjecting:
Mrs PENFOLD: I would rather save the lives!
A number of propositions that could positively reduce the number of people
in this category have been suggested. Despite
opposition, a privately owned and operated track where drivers can
let off steam (as discussed with me recently by the mayor of the City
of Port Adelaide Enfield) sounds like a great
idea. It is an option which would provide drivers with an opportunity to
gain practical experience in how to react and deal
with unexpected situations. I strongly support this
circuit for Port Adelaide, so that risk driving can be undertaken in
a controlled environment and professional training
is provided, rescue services are quickly available if something goes wrong,
and the lives of other road users are not endangered.
People who have driven only on sealed roads have no understanding of the
effect of hitting a slippery patch on a dirt
road—and dirt roads will be with us for decades. Some experience of
them can only help drivers to drive more safely.
Another aspect of driver training is education in the mechanics and care of
a vehicle. The Lower Eyre Peninsula Road Safety
Committee has undertaken such training at schools, including
Port Lincoln High School, Cummins Area School, Tumby Bay Area School
and St Josephs School, taking along a lemon to
teach students what to look for in order to ensure a vehicle they are buying
is roadworthy and safe.
The year 10 and 11 students were asked to say what was wrong with the car
and a police officer attended to point out
deficiencies. Often young drivers acquiring their first car buy cheap
vehicles because that is all they can afford. It is practical common
sense for them to be able to look for traps which
could mean the vehicle could become unroadworthy—if it is not already so.
Finally, I would like to see the promotion across the state of the
successful Bag a Swag project, which is aimed at
young people and which is supported by police on Eyre Peninsula. The
slogan for the project is 'Crash at a party, not on the road,' with
the aim being that young people take a sleeping
bag with them rather than drive home immediately with a blood alcohol
reading possibly over the limit. These bags could
be hired out by entertainment venues for last minute
cheap accommodation when driving home is not an option and
alternative transport is not available.
While stronger laws and penalties are a component of our justice system—and
hopefully a deterrent—they are only one aspect of
ensuring people are safer on our roads. I ask the minister to
investigate what else can be done to lower the number of deaths and
injuries on our roads.
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