There Is A Problem

Now, more than ever, we need tighter safety laws and legislations that will ensure safer roads for Australians. Since 2015, traffic collisions that have caused fatalities to drivers have risen by 8%, fatalities to pedestrians have increased by 7%, fatalities to motorcyclists have increased by 6.5%, fatalities to pedal cyclists have increased by 3%. These statistics measure the fatalities caused in the whole of 2015 compared to fatalities caused from January of 2016 to July of 2016; we are already on the back foot, and if we want any of this to change, new laws and new legislations will have to be amended or even created. This is why we propose that drivers should have to take mandatory practical driving examinations and mandatory medical reviews every subsequent five years, succeeding their approval of using a standard driver’s permit.

What Needs To Be Done

The legislation that we are trying to influence change in is a federal legislation that requires licensed road vehicle drivers to take additional driving tests every five years and will have to take mandatory medical reviews in the same years as their mandatory practical driving examination. This means that drivers will be well aware and informed of possible future driving policies and amendments, making them safe drivers on our roads. It also allows people of unstable predispositions to have their driving privileges revoked to provide a safer environment for all Australians. Studies have shown that the main reason for people being averse to this legislation is that it is seen as a waste of taxpayer money on the exponential increase of driving tests for not only the newer drivers, but for current drivers as well. This legislation is not a waste of taxpayer money as it saves money due to the decreased statistic of traffic collisions, as the driving tests will establish if there are any incompetent drivers currently on our roads. This mandatory testing also provides an incentive for people to study new automobile laws and legislations that are relevant to them , thus making them better informed and safer drivers.

Current Legislation

Currently, there is only one legislation that requires drivers to take mandatory tests subsequently after meeting the required criteria for driving. This legislation only affects drivers who live in the Australian state of New South Wales. The legislation in New South Wales states that drivers over the age of 70 do not need any driving requirements to hold a standard NSW driver’s license. If the driver holds a multi-combination license (a license that allows the driver to tow more than one trailer at the same time) and is over the age of 70 years, then they have to take a mandatory practical driving test for each subsequent driving year. If the driver is over the age of 75 and holds a standard license, they have to take mandatory medical reviews for each subsequent driving year. If the driver is the age of 85 years or older, they will have to take a practical driving examination and a medical review for each subsequent driving year. This legislation is vastly different to the one that we are proposing as it only refers to the state of New South Wales and its drivers. The legislation that we have proposed refers to all drivers of Australia. It is also different because it refers only to drivers that have exceeded the age of 70 years - drivers that are considered senior citizens. The legislation that we are proposing refers to all Australians who have standard or multi-combination driver’s licenses. The final main difference between the two legislations is that the legislation of New South Wales requires drivers of a certain age to take these practical driving examinations and medical reviews every year. The legislation that we are proposing only requires drivers to take a mandatory practical driving examination and a mandatory medical review every five years. The only legislation relevant to the one that we are trying to influence on a federal level refers to the penalties incurring when road directives are breached by drivers, but there is no law or legislation that refers to the testing of current drivers to evaluate their ability to drive and follow the statutes of the road on a federal level. As there are no passed federal legislations that relate to this topic and there is no law that can be amended to make up for this proposed legislation, a new law would have to be created and passed to satisfy the requirements of this proposed legislation.

Who will be impacted

All Australians are likely to be impacted by this law. This is because this law would create a safer living environment for all people due to the projected decrease of collision rates. It would also impact all Australians because the taxes that they pay would not go to repairing government property due to traffic collisions, but instead, the taxpayers’ money would go to providing more and better infrastructure, government funded organisations, such as improved police forces, firefighting organisations, medical organisations, education, and charity organisations. This legislation would mostly impact current and future drivers, however, because they are the people who would actually have to take the mandatory tests.

What Changes Are Required

There aren’t many changes required in the area of vehicular regulation as legislations in this area are regularly amended and reviewed. According to the Australian Legal Information Institute, in the last 57 years, there have been 143 amendments made to the Motor Vehicles Act of 1959 alone - 3 of which were made this year. Changes in the area of vehicular legislation that would support our proposed legislation would only be amendments to said legislation. Amendments would include incurring a penalty or penalties when this law is not adhered to, exceptions where a person or persons is not required to adhere to this law etc. This law is very different to any proposed federal legislation as it tracks the competency of all drivers in Australia and will not hesitate to eliminate any threats to Australia - our people, our environment, and our reputation.

Are The Changes Easily Influenced

There need not be a reason why the proposed changes in this area are not easily influenced, as they can be easily enforced by the federal government and can be funded by a small portion of the taxpayers’ money that is saved by lack of traffic collisions and road accidents. The only logical reason for people being averse to this legislation is that it can be a minor inconvenience if you have other things to do - like doing taxes (except every five years) or doing the census. The only other reason is that people know that they are not fit to drive and would naturally be against this legislation. Overall, this legislation will save lives, money, and Australia itself.