‘High-powered vehicles’ could be next on list of P-plater restrictions, Cook says

Premier Roger Cook says restricting new drivers from using high-powered vehicles “made sense” off the back of Tuesday’s introduction of new P-plater passenger restrictions.

The Tom’s Law legislation limits red P-plate drivers to only one passenger in their vehicle at all times from December 1.

Police impounded this Ford Falcon after its 19-year-old driver was allegedly clocked speeding in the regional town of Meckering.Credit: WA Police

The new rules follow the deaths of Tom Saffioti and Nick Campo, who died as passengers in separate crashes in 2021 and July, respectively.

Exemptions apply for passengers who are immediate family members or for work purposes.

When questioned by ABC radio, Cook said further restrictions for high-powered vehicles were on the cards.

“Intuitively, it makes sense,” he told Nadia Mitsopoulos.

“[But] the mechanics of vehicles has changed and is evolving significantly – For instance, a Tesla or an EV has very high-powered capabilities, but very low specs in terms of the way that it’s constructed.

“We need to be very careful about the way we do these things, but personally and intuitively, I like the idea, but I’m going to get expert advice.”

Some Australian states already have similar laws in place, such as NSW, which profits provisional licence holders from driving high-performance vehicles.

NSW’s definition of a “high-powered vehicle” is based on the ratio of its weight to engine power.

Cook also commented on his support for proposed speed reductions in the South West.

As reported by this masthead, the three-year Safe Speeds trial proposes reducing speeds on more than 1800 WA regional roads in the Shire of Augusta Margaret River and the City of Busselton.

Public comment closed on Monday, with the two councils to vote on initiating the trial in December.

“Speed limits always excites debate and invites a lot of different opinions,” Cook said.

“I’m really excited that they’re undertaking this particular trial, because then [we] will be able to rely on the evidence, and that’s the important thing that we must always do in relation to road safety initiatives.”

Cook said as well as structural safety improvements to regional roads, driver behaviour played an important role in making roads safer.

Support for the P-plater restrictions has grown in recent weeks following a spate of deaths on WA roads.

Two young people were also charged with reckless driving last week, throwing the spotlight back on restrictions.

Police charged a 17-year-old Kardinya man after he was allegedly travelling 94 kilometres over the speed limit on Tonkin Highway near Perth Airport on October 29.

A day later, an 18-year-old Wanneroo man was charged with reckless driving after his blue Subaru Impreza was allegedly clocked travelling 200km/h on the Mitchell Freeway near Osborne Park on October 30.

On November 1, highway patrol officers also impounded a Ford Falcon sedan after they detected it being driven at 157km/h in a 110km/h zone in the regional town of Meckering.

The vehicle was allegedly driven by a 19-year-old provisional licence holder.

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