Cars Or Drivers: Which To Blame?
Newcastle Herald
Thursday August 4, 2005
ON July 1 this year, legislation came into force that banned drivers with red P-plates from driving high-performance cars.
Opinions are still divided by the decision, announced by the NSW Roads Minister, Michael Costa.The changes disallow P-platers from driving cars with eight or more cylinders, turbo- or supercharged engines. "Sixteen- to 20-year-olds accounted for 7 per cent of all drivers, but were involved in 17 per cent of fatalities," Mr Costa said. "A 17-year-old P1 licence-holder was four times more likely than the average driver to be involved in a fatal crash."Mr Costa said that to decrease the death toll, high-powered cars must be banned because P-platers just don't have the experience or the skill to them.There is disagreement about whether it should be a "blanket ban" or whether a power-to-mass ratio should be used. One Member of Parliament, Don Page, said: "It's not a complete answer. I'm supportive of not allowing P-plate drivers to drive supercharged vehicles, but they're still not addressing the driver education issue."NRMA insurance agency disagrees with the ban, saying "many family cars would now be off-limits to P-platers, making life harder for young students, young parents and workers who only have access to one car".The ban is unfair on farming families who need powerful cars.
© 2005 Newcastle Herald