Qld motorists may have to sit road rules test again to renew licence
Queensland motorists could soon have to do a test on the road rules when they renew their licence under a strict new safety plan. TAKE THE TEST AND VOTE IN THE POLL
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QUEENSLAND motorists could soon have to do a test on the road rules when they renew their licence under a new safety plan from the state government following last year’s horror road toll.
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Immediate roadside licence suspensions for drivers busted travelling more than 40km/h over the speed limit are also on the cards as part of the safety overhaul to stop the carnage on Queensland roads.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey will announce a tranche of measures to address bad drivers on Monday following a roundtable meeting of road safety experts and stakeholders earlier this year.
The roundtable was called after 299 people died on Queensland roads in 2022 - the most number of deaths in the state since 2009, when 331 people lost their lives.
One of the key measures will be trialling and developing content on road rule changes that all drivers must engage with when they renew their licence.
The government is still determining what the refresher content will look like, but it could include a test, a video, or an information booklet.
The government has also revealed it will investigate an “immediate licence suspension” punishment for drivers caught travelling more than 40km/h over the limit.
Drivers already have their licences temporarily torn up when they are caught committing high-risk speeding – but there is often a 21-day wait period before the suspension kicks in.
Under the changes being looked at by the government, the suspension would begin immediately with no wait period in order to take the driver straight off the road.
Mr Bailey said one of the emerging themes from the road safety roundtable was speed.
“We saw too many fatal crashes last year where speed was a contributing factor, and so we’ll be looking at a harsher penalty for high range speeding offences,” he said.
“Another issue raised was driver education, and so we’ll look at a potential road rule refresher when people go to renew their licence.
“Thankfully we are off to a far better start to the year on our roads in 2023 but we know how quickly that can change, which is why we need to do all we can to make our roads safer.”
Other measures aimed at boosting safety include scrapping fees for the PrepL supervisor course, which is an online program to assist supervisor drivers who are coaching learner licence holders.
A “Ride to Zero” safety campaign will also be launched to address motorcycle safety, while new technology will be trialled to crackdown on mobile phone use and tailgating.
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