The requirements for gaining a licence in NSW must be overhauled if teenagers are to learn how to drive properly, according to former driving instructor Barrie Sinclair.
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Mr Sinclair’s comments followed new research released by the NRMA, which shows the 120 hours of supervised driving currently in place puts enormous strain on learner drivers and leaves the system open to abuse.
A survey of almost 1300 young NSW drivers found that 40 per cent had either lied or knew someone who had lied in their logbook. More concerning still, Mr Sinclair said, was their attitude.
“They tend to think that they are bullet-proof and 10-feet tall,” he said.
“Virtually all of them come to see me when they are nearing the end of their 120 hours and tell me they are going for their licence in three weeks and that they will get it. I don’t think they are ready but then they go for their test and they get given a licence.”
Of further concern is a new and dangerous trend whereby newly licensed P-plate drivers head out on road trips just hours after they gain their licence.
“As soon as they get their licence they take off on a trip to Sydney or down the coast,” Mr Sinclair said.
“They have not had any life experience outside of their 120 hours, which is nothing. It’s scary and it needs to be addressed.”
Mr Sinclair, 63, has been a professional driver since he turned 18. He says over-confidence is killing our teens.
“The number of P-plate drivers who lose their licence is astronomical. People look at the figures and see the problem but no one does anything about it,” he said.
“Everyone talks about upgrading the Princes Highway because they are blaming the road, but what is wrong with people learning to drive to the conditions?”
Mr Sinclair wants NSW to adopt the same learner driving requirements as the ACT and to introduce driver education into the school curriculum, starting at Year Five.
“In NSW it is 120 hours but there’s no minimum requirement for professional lessons,” he said.
“In Canberra they still do the log book but to have anything marked off you must be assessed by an instructor.”
The ex-instructor describes driving as a privilege and not a right.
“The attitude needs to be changed, along with the mindset,” he said.
“I think education is one of the biggest things, but the 120 hours in the log book has killed it.”
The NRMA is calling on the NSW Government to conduct a review of the system and to adopt a fairer system that rewards quality driver-training hours.
