The Wire

The NSW government has renewed calls for a curfew to be put on young drivers with the aim of reducing the road death toll. NSW Minister for Roads, Carl Scully, has asked the RTA to prepare a discussion paper on the issue, which will be put up for a period of community consultation in September. The move follows claims last month by US road safety experts that a safer system, similar to those already in place in countries like New Zealand and America, would help prevent horrific crashes involving high school students. However the proposed curfews have raised a number of questions about restricting the rights of young people, and the impact on parents who may be asked to step in as night taxi services. Heather Murphy spoke to Kristy Delaney from the Youth Action and Policy Association, or YAPA who says that driving experience, not age, should be a consideration for this proposal. Anne Morphetts is a Road Safety expert with the NRMA, who have put tentative support behind the curfew, but they believe there are problems with introducing a blanket curfew. Tilda Hum, a young driver thinks the proposed curfew isn’t the answer, especially for young people living outside of metropolitan areas.