School’s out! Time for the safety chat

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11 Nov 2014

The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) has issued a road safety plea to newly licensed drivers and their parents, as the latest round of secondary school graduates celebrate the end of school.

TAC chief executive officer Janet Dore said it was crucial that inexperienced drivers did not forget the need to be safe on the roads.

"Between final exams, schoolies week celebrations, buying a first car and heading off on road trips with mates, it's an exciting time for school leavers," Ms Dore said.

"It's also a time when young people are particularly at risk of being involved in a crash, so it's vital that families keep having the road safety discussion, even after the L-plates come off."

Young drivers aged 18-25 account for a quarter of drivers killed in Victoria, despite making up only 14 per cent of licence holders. TAC research shows drivers are 30 times more likely to be involved in an accident in their first six months of driving solo than when on their L-plates.

"Inexperienced drivers have enough on their hands just negotiating the traffic and roads without adding alcohol, distraction, fatigue or speed to the mix," Ms Dore said.

"The laws requiring red P-platers to have a zero BAC and a limit of one peer passenger are designed to save lives.

"We know the vast majority of young people will always try do the right thing, but it could be the one time that they do something risky that leads to tragedy.

"For parents, we know from research that even if you assume your children no longer listen to you, the opposite is in fact usually true – kids often look to their parents for guidance even when they have their licence."

Ms Dore encouraged parents to visit the TAC's website saferpplaters.com.au to find out how to help their children get home safely.

"Sometimes it is as simple as having a discussion to remind young people that driving is a privilege and if you do the wrong thing, the repercussions can be irreversible," she said.

"Planning ahead to avoid fatigue and perhaps having your children drive the safest car your family owns are some great ways to help them prepare for their trip."

The TAC is also encouraging young drivers to visit the new How Safe is Your First Car website before buying their first set of wheels. The site, howsafeisyourfirstcar.com.au, provides information on thousands of safe used cars and allows buyers to search based on their individual budgets.

"The idea that it's okay for your first car to be an old clunker is misplaced because these cars generally don't have life-saving features like crumple zones, curtain airbags or electronic stability control," Ms Dore said.

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