Call for big change to P-plate driving rules in Australia

Thousands of Aussies are pushing for a major change to be made on our roads, one that young drivers won’t be too impressed about.

Thousands of people are calling for further restrictions to be placed on young drivers, with Australia being urged to introduce similar driving rules to those in place in New Zealand.

A Change.org petition started by a grieving NSW father calling for the rules around P plate drivers to change has gained almost 15,000 signatures in just two weeks.

Nigel Smith believes P platers should not be allowed to carry passengers within the first 12 months of having their provisional licence.

“Our road rules need to change to stop innocent passengers being killed in road crashes due to inexperienced P plate drivers,” he wrote on the petition.

Mr Smith’s 18-year-old son, Lachlan, was tragically killed in a car crash in February this year in Silverdale, southwest of Sydney.

He was the passenger of a 17-year-old red P plate driver when the car he was in collided with another vehicle.

Lachlan died at the scene.

The petition has gained almost 15,000 signatures. Picture: Change.org

Mr Smith believes further restricting provisional drivers will help prevent tragedies like this from occurring.

“On February 19th this year our 18 year old son was killed as an innocent passenger in a car being driven at high speed by a red P plater,” he wrote on the Change.org petition.

“The loss of our son has devastated our family, his friends, our family friends, the community and first responders.”

Mr Smith suggested Australia needs to take the same approach New Zealand has to provisional drivers.

“In New Zealand for the first 12 months of driving you are not allowed to have any passengers and we need the same rule in NSW and Australia to stop these young lives being lost,” he said.

In New Zealand, to gain a provisional licence a person must be at least 16-and-a-half years old and have held a learner licence for at least six months.

After passing a practical test, restricted drivers are only allowed to drive on their own between 5am and 10pm.

They can only drive between 10pm and 5am if they have a supervisor in the front seat who holds a holds a current full New Zealand driver's licence.

If a person is driving when a supervisor is not needed, they can only take a passenger if they are their spouse or partner, a child who is financially dependent on them and who normally resides with them or their partner, or a parent or guardian.

They are also allowed to carry a passenger if they are a relative that lives with them or are on a social security benefit or someone who they look after as their primary caregiver.

There are called for Australia to adopt similar driving rules to New Zealand. Picture: iStock

Restricted licence holders must adhere to these rules until they gain their full licence, which they can’t apply for until they are at least 18.

Under NSW rules, a provisional P1 licence holder under 25 must not drive with more than one passenger who is under 21 between 11pm and 5am.

However, there are no restrictions to carrying passengers outside of these times and, unlike in New Zealand, there is no requirement to have a supervisor with them during certain times.

In Queensland, red P-platers can’t drive with more than one passenger under 21 who is not an immediate family member between 11pm and 5am.

Those in Victoria can’t carry more than one peer passenger aged between 16 and 22 and in Tasmania this rule applies to peer passengers aged between 16 and 21.

In the ACT, red P plate drivers are restricted to one peer-aged passenger between 11pm and 5am who is aged between 16 and 22.

Western Australia and South Australia have slightly stricter rules, with P-platers not permitted to drive between 12am and 5am, though employment and education exceptions may apply.

There is no passenger capacity limit for provisional drivers in the Northern Territory.

‘Controversial’ proposal after crash tragedy

In the past few weeks there have been a series of shocking accidents involving young drivers.

Five teenagers were killed when a car being driven by 18-year-old Tyrell Edwards crashed into a tree in Buxton, an hour south of Sydney, on September 6.

Edwards, a green P-plate driver, received non-life threatening injuries and has since been charged with five counts of dangerous driving occasioning death.

Another 18-year-old driver, Jordan Tye Maaka, allegedly crashed into a pole with four friends in the car last Friday in Beverly Hills, a suburb in Sydney’s south.

All five people were hospitalised as a result of the incident.

The scene following the deadly Buxton crash. Picture: John Grainger

Tyrell Edwards was the only survivor of the crash and has been charged. Picture: Facebook

Maaka, a suspended learner driver, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm, three counts of causing injury while in charge of motor vehicle and driving while suspended.

A warrant is now out for his arrest after he failed to appear in Sutherland Local Court on Tuesday, two days after being granted bail.

Earlier this month a “controversial” proposal was put forward to the NSW government that would see men banned from getting a driver's licence until they are 21.

Emeritus Professor Ann Williamson, president of road safety lobby group the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), said drivers under the age of 25 were vastly over-represented in NSW crashes.

People in this age group make up almost 25 per cent of crashes in the state, despite representing about 15 per cent of drivers, she told The Guardian.

“Undoubtedly, some young novice drivers will be better than others. If we can identify those who perhaps are likely to be inherently more risky and limit their licensing, make that a little bit later,” she said.

“Young males, perhaps they should be 21 or 22, before they get their licence.

“This is very controversial stuff but these are all things to think about.”

Originally published as Call for big change to P-plate driving rules in Australia