Night curfew on teenagers could cut road toll

Press, 17 March 1987, Page 46

Night curfew on teenagers could cut road toll

NZPA-AAP Adelaide A night-time curfew could be imposed on young drivers in South Australia in an attempt to cut the mounting teen-age road toll. The overnight ban on drivers aged 16 and 17 is one of the favoured options in a report prepared for the State Government by the Department of Transport. The report also recommends extending the probationary licence period from 12 months to two years with the minimum age for obtaining an unrestricted licence set at 19. The Minister of Transport, Mr Gavin Keneally, said urgent measures were needed as young drivers in South Australia had an accident rate 15 times greater than older motorists. “It has also been proved that for drivers aged 16 the worst time for accidents is from 10 p.m. to midnight,” he said. Mr Keneally said the Government would seek public reaction to the 76-

page report. The report said a curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. would cut the annual death toll up to seven and save as many as 134 people from injury. However, it believed the hours should not be set until after community attitudes had been surveyed.

A recommended penalty for breaching the curfew was a six-month driving ban. The report also recommended maintaining the minimum age for a learner’s permit at 16 years, but believed a probationary licence should not be issued to anyone under 17.

Extending the period of the probationary licence to two years would mean the minimum age a driver could become fully licensed would be raised from 17 to 19.

The present restrictions of a zero blood-alcohol limit on probationary drivers would also be extended.