Young ACT drivers will have to be able to prove they can share the road safely with cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians before they'll be granted a licence, the ACT government says.
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From next Monday, people applying for learner permits or provisional licences must demonstrate they can drive around vulnerable road users or risk failing their test, the ACT's Road safety Minister Shane Rattenbury said on Monday.
"It's really exciting that more and more Canberrans are choosing to walk and cycle around Canberra. However, it's important that we ensure that our road rules can accommodate all road users safely, and that all road users are aware of these rules," he said.
Twenty extra questions will be added to the road rules knowledge test. Applicants must score 100 per cent on this section to gain their learner's licence.
During their practical driving test, learners going for their Ps must demonstrate they can navigate roads with bicycle lanes and move through areas of slow traffic where motorcyclists may be lane-filtering.
Applicants will be tested in areas frequented by cyclists and pedestrians, including shared zones, town centres, group centres, aged-care facilities and school zones.
Mr Rattenbury said the learner will also have to "recognise" the harm they could cause to pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.
The bolstered tests are based on a study into vulnerable users funded by the NRMA-ACT Road Safety Trust.
"With this new vulnerable road user competency, the ACT government is taking the lead nationally to make sure new drivers develop skills in scanning, checking and interacting with pedestrians and cyclists including safe passing distances," said Dr Marilyn Johnson from the Monash University Institute of Transport Studies and co-author of the study.
Pedal Power executive officer John Armstrong said including skills specific to vulnerable road users in driver tests would encourage a positive culture change on Canberra's roads.
"The reality is there simply hasn't been the identification of these competencies in any driver test before. It's part of a cultural change to enable all road users to be mindful of other users and provide a good positive attitude from the word go," he said.
