Ban on mobile phone use and passenger restrictions will be introduced to reduce road fatalities and injuries in Western Australia
April 23, 2012
A ban on mobile phone use and passenger restrictions will be introduced for novice drivers to reduce road fatalities and injuries in Western Australia.
Road Safety Minister Rob Johnson says the government has adopted advice from the Road Safety Council to introduce a range of evidence-based measures that will bring Western Australia into line with other states.
Johnson says novice drivers under the age of 25 will only be allowed to carry one passenger under the age of 21 between 9pm and 5am in the first six months of obtaining a provisional licence.
He says novice drivers are 30 percent more likely to crash in the first six months of provisional driving than in the second six months. Research also indicates that a young driver’s crash risk increases as the number of similarly aged passengers increases.
Western Australia currently bans all drivers from using a hand-held mobile phone while driving. Under the changes, novice drivers will be banned from using any function of a mobile phone, including hands-free, in all situations during the learner phase and the full two-year provisional period.
Johnson says the restrictions on mobile phones and passengers in Western Australia mirrors restrictions in other jurisdictions
The government will also amend restrictions on blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for instructors of learner drivers. Johnson says there is currently no BAC limit or illicit drug limit imposed on instructors of learner drivers.
He says there will now be a 0.05 BAC for instructors as well as a zero limit for illicit drugs.
