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.
RAA also believes the State Government should establish a network of authorised providers who can properly fit and check child restraints, consistent with the practice in New South Wales and Victoria.
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.
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