(The dissemination of this news article is a "Service to the Community Project" of APO Australia Inc. Source: NSW Roads and Transport Authority, 10 Jan 2007)

First-year P plate drivers caught speeding will lose their driver's licence for at least three months under zero tolerance P plate reforms announced today by Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal.

NSW State Plan Priority S7: Safer roads

A peer restriction scheme for all first-year red P plate - or P1 - drivers will be introduced from July this year and P1 drivers will be banned from all mobile phone use while behind the wheel.

A confronting P plate TV advertising campaign will also begin screening across NSW from tonight to reinforce Operation Novus, a NSW Police enforcement campaign targeting P plate drivers after 94 people were killed in P plate crashes in NSW last year. The ad has two endings: one where a police officer stops a speeding driver, the other where he is confronted at a fatal crash scene where a speeding P plate driver killed his best friend.

A tougher driving test for Learner drivers getting their P plates will be introduced later this year, focusing on hazard perception and driver reactions.

"A driver's licence is a privilege for young drivers and something they hold precious. Abusing this privilege can have tragic consequences," Mr Roozendaal said.

"P1 drivers caught speeding face a driver's licence suspension of at least three months.

"Speeding is the biggest killer on NSW roads, and is a factor in 40 per cent of fatalities. There is no excuse for speeding."

The NSW Government will introduce a series of major P plate reforms in the wake of options presented yesterday by the Young Driver Advisory Panel. They will apply to all P1 licence holders from July.

Peer restrictions with sensible exemptions

P1 drivers will only be able to carry one passenger under the age of 21 between 11pm and 5am.

Exemptions will apply for P1 drivers with work commitments; those who need to carry family members; those engaged in community work like the Rural Fire Service; older P1 drivers aged 25 years and over; and in emergency situations.

The peer restrictions will be introduced at the same time as a similar scheme is introduced in Queensland and allows consistency between the two states.

"Although P1 drivers make up only 3.5 per cent of licence holders, they account for around 13 per cent of fatal crashes which happen in the early hours of the morning," Mr Roozendaal said.

"And around a third of these P1 drivers had more than one passenger in the car.

"This is a tough decision but we cannot ignore the evidence.

"We need to instil good habits and attitudes in our young drivers in the first weeks and months of their driving lives.

"This is a sensible and effective way of removing major distractions for young drivers, especially at night.

"We are getting on with the job of improving young driver safety."

Zero tolerance for all speeding offences

Any P1 driver caught speeding will automatically lose their driver's licence for at least three months.

"More than 18,000 P1 drivers were caught speeding during the 2005-06 financial year - that means one in ten drivers caught speeding in their first year," Mr Roozendaal said.

"That is an unacceptable figure which this package clearly addresses - the warning to young drivers is slow down or you will lose your licence."

Tougher licence testing for young drivers

A new Driving Test has been developed by the RTA to prepare new drivers for a more demanding driving environment.

"Learner drivers will sit a longer and more vigorous test with almost twice as much time on the road," Mr Roozendaal said.

"The new test focuses on hazard perception and how novice drivers respond to these hazards. It has been developed by the RTA to prepare new drivers for a more demanding driving environment and ensure they have the basic skills for a lifetime of safe driving on our roads.

"This is a new direction for driver testing in Australia with new drivers facing a tougher, more safety-focused test in a more demanding traffic environment."

RTA testing officers at 18 registries have been trained in the new test and have been recently assessing novice drivers in the trial against the criteria for both the new and existing tests.

Under further initiatives:

• All mobile phone use will be banned for P1 drivers from July. This includes handsfree kits, Bluetooth accessories and the loudspeaker function and is in line with laws to be introduced to Victoria and Queensland. Recent research funded by the NSW Motor Accident Authority shows a 400 per cent increase in crash risk for young drivers when using a mobile phone, regardless if it is hand-held or hands-free.
• A new and confronting TV advertising campaign will air from tonight targeting P plate drivers, working in conjunction with NSW Police's Operation Novus.
• P plates will have to be displayed on the exterior of cars from July after police reports that too many young drivers have been caught hiding their P plates in obscure positions on dashboards.
• The RTA will this year release two new resources to support all NSW high schools teach driver education. ‘In the Driver's Seat' is a road safety education resource which helps Year 11 and 12 students familiarise themselves with issues of driving safely, consider the nature of authority and freedom in a civil society and develop a sense of responsibility towards self-regulation. ‘Low Risk Driving' is aimed at Years 10 and 11 and provides information and strategies on the key principles of safe driving.
  Road safety issues addressed include country road safety, drink driving prevention, driver fatigue, drugs and driving, occupant protection, pedestrian safety, speeding, young drivers and motorcycle safety.

The NSW Government spends $2.8 million on driver education programs in NSW schools.

The NSW Government is also funding the expansion of an innovative young driver education program targeting teenagers before they start driving.

As announced last year, the $130,000 RTA grant will allow the Rotary organisation to expand its Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program to 20,000 more students across NSW over the next two years.

The behavioural education program uses road crash victims, police as well as drug and alcohol educators and finance experts and targets Year 11 students in a setting away from a school setting.

Changes already announced to young driver laws will also come into force from July and will see all young drivers in NSW spend a minimum of four years on the graduated licensing system.

The earlier reforms were:

• Increase the mandatory period of supervised driving for Learner drivers from 50 to 120 hours.
• The 120 hours includes a requirement of 20 hours of night supervised on-road driving for Learner drivers. This is another Australian first.
• All Learner drivers will have to have their L plates for a minimum of one year before they can apply for a P plate licence. This is a 100 per cent increase on the current six month minimum while the validity of the Learner's licence will also be extended from three to five years.

Mr Roozendaal thanked the Young Driver Advisory Panel for its timely work over the summer holiday period.

"The panel was established with a range of different representatives so that it could canvas the wide variety of options for improving young driver safety, and it was inevitable there would be no unanimous set of recommendations," Mr Roozendaal said.

"I commend all the participants for their hard work and commitment throughout the panel's meetings."