Giving drivers the best education will help protect all road users.
Improving quality and accessibility of driving lessons
South Australia’s driver training industry is currently plagued by increasing costs, instructor shortages and allegations of corruption, which is preventing many young drivers from accessing affordable and timely professional driving lessons.
RAA is advocating for industry reform to support the recruitment of more accredited professional driving instructors and improved regulation to ensure both the safety of young drivers and the quality of training.
These reforms should include:
Ensuring there are more training providers to deliver instructor accreditation,
Removing caps on authorised examiners,
An enforceable Code of Conduct o New safety regulations to mandate use of in-vehicle cameras and GPS tracking technology, and
Bonus logbook credits for driving hours spent with professional driving instructors.
Better protecting roadside workers
Between 2019-2023, there were 20 reportable safety incidents caused by cars driving past RAA breakdown service vehicles without due care, including five incidents where patrol vans were hit by a car or motorcycle.
Following a 12-month campaign from RAA – ‘Slow Down for Yellow’ – a new state government law will protect RAA members and patrols at the roadside.
The law will be changed so that the 25km/hr speed limit will now apply to roadside breakdown and recovery vehicles when their lights are flashing as currently applies to emergency service vehicles when they have their red and blue lights activated.
The legislation is set to be introduced to parliament and, if passed, is expected to come into effect later in 2024.
Road safety education
RAA believes all road users should have current knowledge of traffic laws and safety skills to help keep people safe on our roads.
To achieve this, RAA supports fostering attitudes that value human life, including evidence-based education campaigns and starting road user education in childhood and continuing it throughout life.
Teaching children from an early age in school is an effective way to communicate to children and foster these attitudes, including teaching safety in pre-schools and primary schools, involving parents and focusing on positive road safety knowledge in secondary schools.
RAA plays a role in helping educate children in all school groups and also supports access to relevant information, education, and training for all, and helps educate the community about rule changes through its various channels.
Road rules
In order to improve road safety, RAA believes road rules, laws and regulations should be straightforward, easily understood and consistent across Australia.
These rules should also be uniformly administered to reinforce road user responsibilities, supported by fair penalties and developed through stakeholder consultation to secure community acceptance.
Alcohol and drugs rules
RAA condemns irresponsible road users driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs which put lives at risk on our roads.
RAA supports zero Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for learner, provisional, probationary, heavy vehicle, bus, taxi drivers and those transporting dangerous substances, and supports 0.05 BAC for other drivers aligning with most OECD countries.
Road rule enforcement
RAA supports the enforcement of traffic laws to ensure safe and efficient movement of vehicles and pedestrians to help keep the community and road user safe.
Enforcement should be evidence-based, cost-effective, transparent, and educational with compensation for victims of negligent behaviour.
More specifically, RAA supports:
a visible police presence across metropolitan, rural, and regional areas to deter risky behaviour,
camera technology that detects and deters traffic offences, with owner-onus provisions holding registered vehicle owners responsible,
random checks on vehicle registration, driver’s licenses, roadworthiness, seat belt use and impairment, which minimise disruption to drivers, using technology to avoid duplicate checks on the same route.
Use of mobile phones and distraction
Mobile phones should absolutely not be used while driving, except hands-free.
RAA supports mobile phone detection cameras, fines and demerit points for handheld phone which are a big cause of distraction and compromise road safety.
Fatigue
RAA would like to see greater public awareness about the danger of fatigue as a contributing factor to road trauma.
Public awareness should focus on promoting regular rest breaks during long drives, and encouraging the adoption of lane divergence technology.
RAA also supports improving rest areas on national highways and rural roads, ensuring they are well-maintained and easily accessible.
Audio tactile line markings on high-risk road sections and sealing shoulders should also be prioritised where feasible.
Fitness to drive
RAA endorses an enhanced fitness-to-drive assessment process, including regular self-assessment, appropriate medical screenings, and mandatory reporting by medical professionals.
This includes annual medical assessment for drivers with certain medical conditions or specific licenses and encourages carrying medical details that may impact driving ability.
RAA does not support mandatory retests based on age alone, as there is insufficient evidence of the road safety benefits.
Fines and demerit points
RAA supports a separate, transparent Community Road Safety Fund, directing traffic fines revenue solely for road safety initiatives, supplementing existing funds.
RAA does not support double demerit points during holidays – rather, we’d like to see strong enforcement and public education instead.
Drivers who reach half their demerit points should be notified and provided educational material on risky behaviours like speeding, phone use, red light running, BAC offences and drug detection.
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