All the bother over P-plate drivers is remarkable.
It is remarkable because P-plate drivers are not being consulted about changing the laws which govern their rights.
The new Young Drivers Advisory Panel in NSW represents parents, police, the RTA, NRMA and various government bodies. Their ideas have been scrutinised and dissected by the media. Everyone has an opinion. Curfews, limited passenger numbers, longer learning hours, highway patrols and more.
But it all boils down to one question which nobody seems able to answer: Why are so many P-plate drivers dying?
Forty-nine P-platers have died on NSW roads so far this year, almost double last year’s count of twenty-five. There’s a lot of blaming and finger-pointing going on, with a whole lot of emotion behind it.
Like every other labelled ‘group’, P-plate drivers are actually a diverse bunch.
Observation suggests, however, that there are subspecies of P-plate drivers:
The Workhorse—your car is an overworked donkey and you hold the whip. You use your car for work, rest and play, and at its helm you’ve become a chauffeur for all manner of parents, friends, children, aunts, uncles and neighbours. Your car is no longer just a vehicle. It has become an extension of your living room, complete with numerous pairs of shoes, discarded mail and day-old (if you’re lucky) menu choices.
The Hoon—whether or not you are actually a hoon, the car you drive labels you as such in the eyes of others. Your car is your beautiful baby, pride and joy, the apple of your eye. You lovingly feed it petrol, and it purrs back at you seductively. Whether or not you have a bad driving record, you probably get pulled over by the police a lot. Those shiny Mag wheels sure are eye-catching.
The Sunday Driver—you’re a part-time driver whose license has become your social passport. You probably take turns being the designated driver amongst your friends. There’s no limit to your driving hours—in fact, driving in daylight and through traffic probably seems unusual to you.
The Sydney Ferry—you have a tendency to connect with garage doors, concrete posts and other stationary objects, and you’re awful at reverse parking. But you’re one of the first amongst your crowd to get your license. While driving, you’re usually accompanied by at least three friends. You’ve got your P’s baby, and you’re proud to use them. Oh— and you don’t drive… you cruise.
Whether you identify with one of these groups, or you’re a hybrid subspecies all your own, you probably have something to say about proposed changes to provisional licenses.
Listening to the news, you might start to think that P-plate drivers are nothing more than unruly children. Except we’re adults—we can vote, own a credit card and join the army. But apparently we can’t form a rational thought about our own driving licenses.
At the moment, RTA’s myspace page (
http://www.myspace.com/rtaslowdown) has over 1000 friends. This is probably not due to the popularity of the RTA itself. It’s due to the fact that young people do want to be involved in the process of dealing with P-plate deaths—after all, it’s our licenses and our generation at stake.
While there’s a lot of anger vented on the site, there’s been a lot of suggestions too. ‘Julian’ recommends safe driving courses in Years 11 and 12, and ‘Suff’ suggests compulsory defensive driving courses. ‘Scott’ insists on “Education, not more restrictions! Training, not blaming. Help younger drivers, don’t just blame them for everything that is wrong”.
P-plate drivers want to be involved in the process which is threatening to limit the freedoms they have earned, and evidently they have some good ideas.
We’re literally the ones in the driver’s seat—so does any one want to listen to what we have to say?
How do I know this?
Clennell, A & Davies, A 2006, ‘NSW left behind on P-plate reforms’,
The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 December,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/nsw-left-behind-on-pplate-reforms/2006/12/01/1164777794973.html
Cummings, L 2006, ‘Answers lie overseas—Road panel meets – but stalling continues’,
The Daily Telegraph, 30 November
Lavelle, P 2006, ‘Could teen driving contracts save lives?’,
ABC’s The Pulse, 7 December,
http://www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/s1806273.htm
Roads and Traffic Authority 2006, Please, slow down
http://www.myspace.com/rtaslowdown
