Education the key to road safety - 23 October 2006

“I extend my deepest commiserations to the families of the four young men who died in the tragic accident at Broken Head on the weekend, and also to their friend who survived,” said NSW Upper House Greens MP and Broken Head resident Ian Cohen.

“I know this stretch of road well. Whilst there are legitimate concerns about road conditions and appropriate speed limits in the region, I don’t believe such conjecture is relevant to this case or helpful to the ongoing police investigation.

“The stretch of road that runs from Suffolk Park to Beach Rd Broken Head has seen the 50 km/h zone extended to cover a couple of dangerous bends. This is a good move by the relevant authorities. The stretch of road south of Broken Head, where this accident occurred, had its speed limit reduced from 100 to 80 km/h an hour only a few weeks ago.

“What this highlights for me is the need for prospective young drivers to have a greater awareness of the dangers of driving. Educational programs in schools may need to introduce shock tactics to highlight this.

“It is also important that people are trained in what to do when something goes wrong. In the current system learning to handle a car that has lost control is an advanced course that is undertaken once people have acquired their licence. It would make a lot more sense for such skills to be tested before young drivers gain their licence, especially in rural areas where lighting is often non-existent, road quality varies and speed limits are higher.

“There must be intensive scrutiny of the high rate of fatal accidents involving our youth. I strongly believe that education, along with more stringent testing and safety controls, is a vital link in saving young lives. Advanced driving lessons should be compulsory before licences are granted.

“We won’t know the cause of this particular accident until the police have completed what will undoubtedly be a thorough investigation. However if we are to save other young lives in the future we must tackle the old cliché that you don’t really start learning how to drive until you’ve got your licence. By then it is often tragically too late,” Mr Cohen said.


Further Information: Michael Hidden 9230 3305 or 0431 320 085
Or Ian Cohen 0409 989 466