New plan to reduce road fatalities

http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/politics/new-plan-to-reduce-road-fatalities/2277273.aspx?src=rss

BETTER education for new drivers and students, lower speed limits and more median strips will be used to achieve a target to reduce serious injuries and fatalities by 20 per cent by 2013.
Launching the second Road Safety Action Plan, Infrastructure Minister David O'Byrne said the plan included practical measures such as flexible road barriers and median strips.

He said cuts to the police force would not impact on road safety.

"It's not necessarily about enforcement, it's also about education and preparing," Mr O'Byrne said.

The three-year plan includes investigating changes to the licensing system including curfews, passenger restrictions, greater mandatory learning hours and mobile phone bans as used in other states.

An alcohol interlock program will also be introduced for serious and repeat drink- driving offenders.

A reduction in the default speed limit on rural roads to 90km/h is to be implemented in the first two years of the plan, followed by reducing all 60km/h roads to 50km/h.

Work to implement the plan will be funded by the road safety levy, which generates about $9 million a year.

The first plan launched in 2005 aimed to cut serious injuries and fatalities by 20 per cent.

Mr O'Byrne said that goal had been exceeded with a reduction of 32.5 per cent.

Tasmania's road toll to date is 19 compared with 22 this time last year.

Police Commissioner Darren Hine said there was more work to be done.

"We don't want to see any crashes happen especially fatalities."

[LOGOa945] Have your say: Do you think the new Road Safety Action Plan will work?

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