New car levy to fund skills for P-platers

A CAR industry-supported $30 million defensive driving scheme for provisional licence holders appears set to finally get the green light for development in 2004.

The Federal Government and the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) are expected to issue joint press releases this week that confirm the scheme is a goer.

It will involve all car companies tipping in about $10 for every car sold – or about $10 million a year.

The proposal, first floated by Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson, has been under review since September 2002, but has been bogged down by federal-state government red tape.

According to FCAI’s chief executive Peter Sturrock, a key to getting the proposal up and running again has been the appointment about six weeks ago of Senator Ian Campbell as minister for roads, within Mr Anderson’s portfolio of responsibilities.

"We met with Senator Campbell last week and his reaction was very strong, he said ‘yep, let’s get going’," said Mr Sturrock.

"I understand he will issue a release this week – and we will do so jointly – which will explain this is going to go forward, that there is a plan and that there is an in-principle agreement among insurance companies and the Federal Government together with the motor industry through the FCAI.

"We are expecting this plan will be worked up with something specific early in the new year." The car industry – through the FCAI – has committed to providing up to $10 million per annum in support of the scheme, which would impose a levy on every new vehicle sold in Australia.

The federal and state governments would match that offer, Mr Sturrock said.

The FCAI member companies would also swing in to support the scheme via promotion and campaigning, using high profile personalities such as racing drivers.

Mr Sturrock said FCAI members were concerned by the disproportionate representation of drivers under the age of 25 in road accident and fatality statistics.

There are about 300,000 new drivers licence applicants in Australia each year.

The proposal is to require all P-plate drivers to complete a one-day education course on defensive driving.

The course is likely to be free of charge and new drivers would be required to undertake it within six months of obtaining their provisional license.

Mr Sturrock said the planning for the scheme bogged down when the NSW Road Traffic Authority (RTA) was commissioned by the state and federal transport ministers to develop a paper on it.

"The state governments have been saying prima facie ‘no, no there’s no evidence around the world these programs work. They spend a lot of money and nothing happens. It’s all a bit of a waste of time, but we are prepared to have another look at it.

"We said ‘this is ridiculous, we want to teach them how to defensively drive and be more aware of circumstance and issues when they are within their first 12 months after obtaining their provisional licence.

"We think there is a good deal of merit in that and we want to support it and get cracking with it’." Mr Sturrock said Mr Anderson had become increasingly frustrated about the inability of the scheme to move forward.

"He talked to his bureaucrats and they said ‘oh no, no that’s all a waste of money. There’s no evidence that works, the best thing you could do is just keep reducing the speed limit’, make 60-50 and50-40 and 40-30’.

"He said: ‘well pretty soon it will be zero and no-one will be going anywhere so there won’t be any accidents will there, which is just crackers isn’t it, there has got to be a better way’." The FCAI said a number of practical issues needed to be resolved before the proposed scheme can be implemented.

Arrangements must be made to ensure that the training is available to new drivers in rural and remote areas.

"Young drivers in the bush are particularly over-represented in accident statistics and the automotive industry is concerned that efforts be made to reduce the rural road toll," said Mr Sturrock.