IT’S A PITY THAT THE powers-that-be don’t spend their advertising dollars on telling us about changes to the road rules, rather than pointless advertising telling us not to kill ourselves on the road.
As always, the new year sees a raft of new road rules come into force (adding to the hundreds of pages of rules that we are already expected to know and understand).
In NSW, P-platers who are 25 years of age or older will be permitted to use a mobile phone while driving if it is being used as a navigational aid and is mounted to the vehicle. It is being used as a trial to see if it leads to an increase in crashes, but it’s difficult to see how it will be enforced. The change is planned only for one year and if it is decided that it doesn’t lead to more collisions, the change will likely be made permanent.
Another pending change is an exemption to the requirement for electric scooter and bicycle riders to wear helmets for Sikhs who wear turbans. They will also be exempt from wearing helmets when riding motorcycles if they hold a full licence. There has been some opposition to this change, since it provides an exemption to Sikhs that others in the community don’t enjoy.
Particularly relevant with all the recent flooding we’ve had, it is now an offence to drive into floodwaters and be reckless as to the risk of death of injury to themselves or another person. Yet again, this law is wide open to interpretation.
Drivers who buy and sell demerit points in NSW will be subject to fines of up to $22,000.
Victorian changes may include reducing the age at which you can get a probationary licence. Currently, Victoria is the only state where you have to be 18, but there is a push to have it lowered to 17. One of the advantages is that people can get a licence one year before they are legally allowed to drink alcohol (at the moment, your 18th birthday is the very day you can both drive a car and legally buy and consume alcohol – a potentially lethal combination).
Also mooted is a new drivers’ safety skills and basic vehicle maintenance course being introduced in schools for Years 10 to 12.
Queensland plans to reduce cost of living pressures by cutting registration fees for light vehicles, dealer plates and caravans. The 20 percent reduction began on September 16, but only applies for a 12-month period.
South Australia is introducing laws that allow a court to sentence anyone who commits a drink-driving or drug-driving offence while a child is in the vehicle to six months’ imprisonment.
Another SA change is to allow privately-owned e-scooters and other personal mobility devices to be legally ridden on roads and other public areas. There will be no requirement for e-scooters to be registered or for the rider to hold a licence, making one wonder how offences can be traced or riders identified.
In WA, meanwhile, off-road vehicle owners will be no longer required to attend a Department of Transport licensing centre to register, renew or transfer ownership; it can now be done online. They will also no longer be required to provide a statutory declaration, raising fears that it may lead to fraudulent registrations and transfers.
Also in WA, courts are now allowed to hand down fines of up to $5000 (up from the previous $1000). Some people have suggested it is a sneaky way of deterring people from electing to contest road offences in court.