Consideration of ways to reduce road toll

Licence fee discounts for good drivers and a graduated licensing system are among a wide range of initiatives being considered as part of a major assault on WA's road toll.

The Traffic Board, which has developed the new strategy, says it aims to reduce road deaths and severe casualties by 20 per cent by the year 2000.

"This would equate to saving 290 lives and preventing 3,000 serious injuries," Police Minister Graham Edwards said today when releasing details of the strategy document.

"The saving to the community would be more than $500 million, but in terms of grief and suffering the saving would be incalculable."

Mr Edwards said the document, Directions Towards 2000, had been prepared as a discussion paper and would be the focal point of the road safety summit to be held in Bunbury on September 10.

"The document is the most comprehensive blueprint for road safety ever produced in WA," Mr Edwards said.

"Its primary objective is to make roads, people and vehicles safer, thereby reducing the number and severity of road accidents in WA.

"This can be achieved by improving road safety planning, developing positive community attitudes and raising the standard of transport, road and health systems in relation to road safety.

"In any strategies to create safer roads, thought must be given to incentives for safe driving.  Rewards for good driving, such as licence fee discounts, need to be considered."

Other initiatives being considered by the Traffic Board include:

·         awards for accident free driving;

·         focussing licence tests on an understanding of road safety and not just regulations;

·         developing pre-licence driver training programs;

·         setting up community-based road safety programs;

·         encouraging road safety education as part of school curricula;

·         more emphasis on public transport promotion;

·         seeking sales tax exemption on vehicle safety devices;

·         setting safety targets for vehicle manufacturers;

·         wider use of road calming measures;

·         raising the level of road design and maintenance;

·         establishing a road safety advisory body made up of representatives from Government, industry and community groups.

Mr Edwards said initiatives targeting drink driving and speeding had helped reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes by 11 per cent since 1989.

"Despite that, 207 people were killed on our roads last year and 2,600 were hospitalised," Mr Edwards said.

"That was a cost to the community of $450 million, which is far from acceptable.

"Under the Traffic Board's proposals road trauma could be reduced dramatically by the year 2000, but much will rest on the co-operation of all sections of the community."

Mr Edwards said the document would be released for public comment and would be discussed at length during the Bunbury summit.

"This will be an opportunity for the community to help shape the final document," he said.

"The Traffic Board will take submissions until October 31 and will aim to have the new strategies in place and operational by the end of the year."