What Should We Do With Young Drivers? Posted by Breakfast 28 January, 2010 - 9:09 AM

19 people have died on South Australian roads in 28 days. The latest is three young boys in Mt. Compass. It's in on the front page of the paper again today and it's got us thinking. What are we doing with kids and cars? Do we need to improve road safety?

Leave your comment

• Judith Lea says

  Here are my suggestions:

  1. Get rid of the Log Book system... If you haven't got the confidence to pass a test, how can you be trusted with other people's lives? A drivers licence is not a right, it is a priviledge and needs to be earnt, and can just as easily be lost.

  2. Introduce very high insurance premiums for new drivers, with a dramatic discount if they complete an advanced drivers course.

  3. Introduce annual roadworthiness and emmissions testing on all vehicles. Vehicles are unable to be re-registered without passing the annual inspection.

  4. Road safety is not about having somewhere safe for young people to do their drag racing, etc... It's about teaching respect for the law and other road users. Too many people have the attitude that red lights, stop and give way signs are only for some people, you are only drink driving if you get caught and if you make it home you are a hero, police defect cars because they are a*holes, not becuase they care about the safety of the driver, and speed limits?? Well, they are only there for government revenue raising. Until we can change the attitudes of ALL drivers, not just young ones, the blue bag will keep on coming out. We have nearly averaged 1 per day for January. It's a disgrace.

  Posted Thursday 28 January, 2010 9:21 AM
• Sam says

  There needs to be a driver education program in high schools. Every student should be forced to take a mandatory semester long course on driving in years 11 or 12. For those who leave school after year 10 they can take a course at Tafe to qualify. Teenagers need to learn that having a drivers license is something that must be earned and only those dedicated and responsible enough will pass the course and have their P plates.
  I look back on my own driver training 15 years ago and realise now that it was woefully inadequate and far too easy to pass the log book system.

  Posted Thursday 28 January, 2010 10:44 AM
• Kerryn Knill says

  Seems to be that when young lives are lost in road accidents, there's always 3 to 4 in the car. Maybe P Platers should not be allowed passengers unless there is also a fully licensed driver in the car with them? Possibly there's an element of showing off how fast they can go and this may curtail this a bit. It all seems so senseless.

  Posted Thursday 28 January, 2010 1:18 PM
• Alisha Bennett says

  It's not going to matter what laws are made and enforced there are too many people that think they are invincible.Wether people have restrictions on what car they drive or how many people they are allowed in the car or how many extremely graffic images they are shown they will never think it will ever happen to them,and once they are dead they will never know.It's the family and friends who suffer.Life is taken in the blink of an eye and hopefully one day people will think about the what ifs, because it can happen and will happen t's only a matter of time.Wake up people!!!!!!!!!!!!

  Posted Thursday 28 January, 2010 9:45 PM
• Kellie Dwyer says

  No one is doing anything because it all comes down to a personal choice, peer pressure there isnt as such much beating it when your a teenager who doesnt want to be outkasted and belittled by 'ruining' the fun of hoon driving to get a little excitement before hitting the town or another party for the night.

  All i can say is that not just to the community of mt.compass but to everyone on the road... driver, passenger whoever you are beware we are not invincable life is taken in an instant.

  Dont wait for something as tradgic in the community to happen to you personally before you feel the pain and grief to realise we need to get a grip of the road and its conditions.

  To The Compass Boys who i knew and already dearly miss, your lifes were not in vain you have me which is hopefully one life spared i have heard your message. Love to Jake, Brock and Solly i will be here for sisters and brothers always.

  Posted Friday 29 January, 2010 12:04 AM
• Simone says

  I think that young people should have to do a stint working with people in rehab hospitals to see the impact and the final results that accidents have on people who have survivied or they should have to confront the family and visit the morgue and really see the impact I think its the only thing that might shock them in to action. Having had a family memeber die in a car accident I am speaking from experience Life support is no way to live is it?

  Posted Friday 29 January, 2010 7:54 AM