WA asleep at the wheel of road safety reform
30 September 2010
The RAC has called for an independent review or parliamentary inquiry into road safety reform in WA after revealing an extensive list of unfulfilled promises and commitments.
The list includes recommendations which were accepted by government as far back as 2004 but remain undelivered.
The recommendations cover repeat drink driving offenders, graduated motorcycle training and licencing, radar detectors and graduated demerit points for provisional drivers.
RAC Head of Member Advocacy Matt Brown said when it comes to road safety reforms, the machinery of government simply doesn’t work.
"These reforms cover the key causes of death and serious injury on our roads – drink driving, excessive speed and inexperienced drivers," Mr Brown said.
"Both governments and oppositions have agreed to these measures but they remain undelivered.
"The current Minister for Road Safety deserves some credit for trying to reinvigorate some of these measures but it appears the system is failing him.
"When the approvals system for the resources sector doesn’t work, the government holds an independent review and tries to make the system work more effectively.
"Road safety reform should be no different.
Mr Brown said the review should not be about apportioning blame.
“If it is a Parliamentary inquiry, it cannot be allowed to descend into partisan politics and point scoring,” he said
"It should simply explore why these reforms have become lost in the system and make recommendations on how to fix the system.
The black hole of road safety reforms in Western Australia includes: • Repeat Drink Driver Strategy: handed to government in 2003, endorsed by Cabinet in 2004.
Status: undelivered.
• Ban on radar detectors: proposed by the government in January 2005 and given in principle support by the then Opposition.
Status: undelivered, legislation being drafted.
• Graduated motorcycle rider training and licencing: report delivered to government in 2004, endorsed by Road Safety Council in 2005.
Status: undelivered, commitment to implement by 2012.
• Graduated demerits point system for provisional drivers: announced in Parliament in February 2007.
Status: undelivered, commitment to implement in early 2011.
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