‘No driver’s license for men under 21’, say these Australian safety experts | Car

The club has submitted a proposal to this effect to the government of New South Wales, a southeastern province in Australia, stating that more needs to be done to reduce road deaths. One such way is to raise the minimum age for obtaining a driver’s license for men to 21 years.

Ann Williamson, Professor Emeritus and President of the Australian College of Road Safety, notes that drivers under the age of 25 in New South Wales are responsible for nearly 25 per cent of crashes, while making up only 15 per cent of the total number of motorists. She says more needs to be done to reduce the number of accidents caused by young drivers. Among other things, by imposing restrictions on them.

There have been 155 male and 48 female road deaths in New South Wales so far this year. Between 2011 and 2021, nearly three times as many men died in road accidents as women. “Men are especially at risk of an accident in the first six months after getting their driver’s license,” Williamson told the British newspaper. The Guardian.

According to her, road authorities and policy makers are aware of the problem and a number of restrictions have been put in place for inexperienced and novice young drivers. “But it’s clearly not enough. No doubt some novice drivers will be better than others, but it would be good if young men were not allowed to get their driver’s license until they were 21 or 22. This is very controversial, but it is something to think about.”

Professor Rebecca Ivers from the University of New South Wales is an injury prevention expert and believes that a gender-based approach can reduce accidents. “Men have been overrepresented in injury since we could crawl. Driving is no different and I really think we need to distinguish between men and women here.”