MPs push for airport licence testing in a bid to stop dangerous international drivers
Premier Daniel Andrews has turned down a suggestion to test international drivers at the airport suggested by Bev McArthur, Western Victoria MP. Approximately 20 per cent of accidents an ambulance is called to on the scenic road involve an international driver. ‘If you talk to bus drivers who have to use the road on a daily basis, they say there are nearly four misses in any trip’.
Richard Riordan, MP for Polwarth in Victoria’s south-west, agrees more needs to be done to stop incompetent overseas drivers from taking to Victorian roads. ‘VicRoads have, for years, identified 27 countries that they say they believe have licences valid and equivalent to ours’, ‘If you’re not one of the 27 countries … if you come to live here you’ve got to re-do your licence’.
‘But you can come here as a tourist from one of the non-27 countries and drive all over the road, wherever you like’.
‘It doesn’t make sense!’
Mr Riordan said a five minute written test at the airport would solve the problem.
Source: 3AW.com
Meanwhile in New Zealand:
97% of international drivers who sat New Zealand driving theory quiz failed
Source: RNZ
Clearly, there is a problem.
Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson wants a more stringent approach to international driver’s licences and has called for a review.
She suggested consideration of options such as compulsory safety videos for all international tourists hiring cars, and asking car hire companies to impose stricter standards before renting out vehicles.
‘It is a real danger that these international tourists are coming across from other parts of the world, getting into a hire car … and they really are a moving time bomb’, she said.
‘I just don’t think it’s good enough that there’s no verification of someone’s driving experience when they arrive in Australia’.
Source: ABC
An RACV study revealed the following:
Drivers from overseas were more likely to be involved in fatigue-related crashes, failure to keep left, failure to wear seatbelts, incidents
associated with disorientation and rollover crashes. International visitors from right-hand drive countries were also particularly at risk as pedestrians.
Source: RACV
But Dopey Dan has disregarded the experts. He has a left-field solution:
Multilingual Signs Improve Safety On Great Ocean Road
New multilingual signs are being rolled out along the Great Ocean Road to help international tourists safely navigate one of Victoria’s most popular tourist routes.
In an Australian-first, trucks undertaking road works on the Great Ocean Road are now displaying messages in Mandarin and English, to alert international drivers to changed traffic conditions.
Source: The Premier of Victoria
It wasn’t even his idea:
Great Ocean Bay region residents erect Chinese signs for drivers
Source: Great Ocean Bay region residents erect Chinese signs for drivers
