Driver Safety Archives - Driver Safety Australia

Young Australians Implored to Drive Down Road Deaths

YOUNG AUSTRALIANS IMPLORED TO DRIVE DOWN ROAD DEATHS National research uncovers key road risk factors amongst Australian youth New research released today has revealed young Australian drivers are fueling the risk of road trauma by lacking basic car safety knowledge and skills. The data from Driver Safety Australia[1] showed a staggering 90 per cent of drivers aged 25 and under do not undertake regular vehicle checks – either lacking the skills to perform the checks themselves or naively believing a warning light would alert them to any safety issues. Despite one in two young Australians driving a vehicle that is more than a decade old, the same number of drivers have never considered what they would do if their car broke down unexpectedly. Alarmingly, the research also revealed that half of drivers aged 25 and under have knowingly driven a car that had a safety issue at the time, while three in five admitted they would keep driving if their car was making an unusual noise. When it came to facing a specific issue like a broken headlight or worn windscreen wiper, the research showed that young drivers are five times more likely to spend $50 on a meal out with friends than they would on fixing a safety concern. Driver Safety Australia founder and CEO Russell White said this frightening research was not only endangering the lives of young drivers, but all road users. “These latent attitudes towards safety are surprising given that one quarter of young drivers have broken down suddenly, and a further two in five have been stranded when...

Too many drivers with the Pedal to the Metal

Despite tougher driving tests and greater driver education the numbers of Queenslanders being pinged for speeding continues to climb. Last year, more than 700,000 drivers were issued more than 900,000 fines and those numbers don’t include the Christmas period. More than 24,000 who were fined twice in a week, more than 12,000 who were caught twice in a day, while one driver was pinged eight times in just 24 hours. Russell White from Driver Safety Australia tells Mark the scary thing is that those are just the drivers who were caught. LISTEN...