FTO Drivers Club, Western Australia

[Leigh]

There was an article in the paper last week or maybe a few ago about what can we do about safty on the roads.
Mostly saying younger people were the problem, blah blah blah.

Now... they gave a list of what can we do to lower the deathtoll on the roads . Some of their suggestions were:

-with "P" platers they can only have their familly as passangers.

-P's Banned from the roads after dark

-reducing points for P's from 12 to 8.

-adding another year of P-manship

and a few more stupid suggestions but I can't remember 'em right now..might of been heavier fines or something like that... anyway...
My beef about the whole thing..
They are crazy!

1. they inconveniance, like after dark and the family only,
2. they would be a nightmare to impliment and inforce.
3. they dont solve the cause of the problems and the drivers who finish the Plates are no better off then the ones who do now.

What I dont get is, THE most obvious suggestion hasn't even been touched and I have no idea why not.

to do an advanced/defensive driving course as a 3rd step to being allowed on the roads.

I've done 2 already and a few MC's to boot and this by far makes you a better driver more so then an extra 1-2 years of being on a leash. Most people don't have the respect for speed and inertia until its too late.

[RichardH]

Yeah, that inertia's a bitch!!!

- Rich

[elmo]

I think it should go further and the government or police should sponsor or endorse race days etc that encourage younger drivers off the road and onto the track.
I know from personal experience what you can get away with on the roads but we have all had near misses etc when doing the wrong thing. A second either way and you could be a statistic too... I have learnd the hard way and been without a liscence a bit for some stupid stuff.
But i will personally admit that if there was a place i could have gone that didn't cost alot (remembering $20 is alot for most P platers), i would have happily gone there instead.
Then there is all the police attention that these events get that stops people going to them cause they dont want a canary for an oil leak and worn wiper blades...
But yeah everyone should have to do a defensive driving course to get their liscence. And although a bitch, we should have to do another one and be retested every 10 years or so...
actually i think that getting a drivers liscence should be more like getting a pilots liscence just not as expensive.