Canberra's P-platers could soon be banned from driving between the hours of midnight and 5am, under radical changes being considered by ACT Road Safety Minister Shane Rattenbury.
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Provisional drivers would also be restricted to one peer-aged passenger at all times, while learners would have to log at least 100 supervised hours behind the wheel before getting their P-plates.
The ACT has one of the most permissive set of laws for L and P-platers in Australia, with no speed, passenger or time restrictions for learner and provisional drivers.
It's also one of the easiest jurisdictions to get your licence in, with no mandatory minimum hours for L-platers (although 50 hours of supervised driving was recommended), the shortest minimum learner period in the country, and no "green Ps", or P2, stage.
But between 2006 and 2017, 15 drivers aged 17 to 24 were killed on ACT roads.
Young drivers killed 23 other drivers, passengers, cyclists or pedestrians during the same period, with 10 of those deaths occurring between midnight and 5am.
Mr Rattenbury said the territory was "behind" other jurisdictions on provisional driver laws and he wanted to "bring the ACT up to national standard".
"This will be a comprehensive refresh of our graduated licensing scheme in order to reduce the risk for some of our most inexperienced drivers," Mr Rattenbury said.
The changes being considered include:
- Introducing a P2 stage for provisional drivers. Drivers would have to be at least 18 to get their P2 licence and would have to be on it for two years before applying for their full licence;
- Increasing the minimum learner period from six to 12 months;
- Forcing L-platers to log at least 100 hours of supervised driving, including 10 hours of night driving;
- Introducing a hazard perception test as part of the process to get your Ps;
- Cutting the number of demerit points available to L-platers from 12 in three years to four in three years;
- Extending the expiry period on learner licences from two to five years;
- Banning L and P-platers from using mobile phones while driving, even if its on hands-free or for navigational purposes;
- Barring P1 drivers from carrying more than one peer-aged driver (16-24 years);
- Restricting P1 drivers from being on the road between midnight and 5am;
- Scrapping the ability for P1 drivers to double their available points by completing the Road Ready Plus course.
The government is not considering speed or vehicle power restrictions for learner and provisional drivers.
Mr Rattenbury said the experience of other jurisdictions had yielded little evidence they helped reduce the crash or death rate in any significant way.
He said reduced speed limits actually created a hazard on the roads, as it increased unsafe overtaking from drivers frustrated by P-platers going 90km/h in a 110km/h-zone.
"Provisional drivers should be learning to drive at the speed limit, not below it," Mr Rattenbury said.
Mr Rattenbury said a midnight to 5am restriction for drivers aged 17 was expected to yield a 44 per cent reduction in fatal crashes at night.
However he said they wanted to be "practical" and not "unduly impact" people who needed to drive at that time of day.
There could be exemptions for P-platers whose work hours require them to drive between midnight and 5am, or in the case of emergencies. Exemptions are also being considered for mature-aged provisional drivers.
"We can't ignore the evidence of fatalities in those hours though," Mr Rattenbury said
The changes will be subject to extensive community consultation and are likely to be introduced in stages, Mr Rattenbury said.
He said the new laws would not be applied retrospectively, meaning only new licence-holders would be affected.
Have your say on the changes to the ACT's graduated licensing scheme in the comments below and at: yoursay.act.gov.au
