Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I endorse the words of the previous speaker; there is no issue that is more important. The majority of my contribution to this debate will deal with young people and the need to address the issue of the loss of life of young people on our roads. This motion highlights the impact and the enormous cost to our nation of death and injury caused by road accidents. It also recognises the impact of the Black Spot Program, a fine program that I and members of this House support, and recognises how it has worked to eliminate dangerous crash sites.

The biggest cause of death and disability for young people aged 15 to 25 is car accidents. The enormous cost of road accidents involving young people was brought home to me very graphically last week when the son of one of my children’s friends was killed in a road accident. A young 18-year-old hopped in a car with a driver who had been drinking—an action that many young people do—went down to the shop to buy something and was dead five minutes after he left home. This highlights the issue of the danger of young people and driving.

The World Health Organisation has identified road crashes as the leading cause of death of young people under the age of 25 worldwide. Road traffic collisions cost an estimated $US518 billion worldwide. New South Wales statistics for 2004 for 17- to 25-year-olds recorded 856 casualties of road traumas and 187 deaths. These young people only hold 15 per cent of the licences but are involved in 28 per cent of the crashes. It is a very sad indictment of the failure by all levels and all persuasions of government. I call on all governments to work together to try and solve this problem. Research has shown that we need to look at changing behaviours and, at the same time, put in place laws that are going to prevent young people from losing their lives.

Other statistics show that young people account for only 15 per cent of licence holders, but a third of road accidents fall into this group. First-year P-plate holders are four times more likely to be involved in an accident than a driver over the age of 26. Nearly half of all trauma admissions to New South Wales hospitals in 2005 were serious injury road trauma and, of these, 28 per cent were aged 15 to 24. It is very sad to hear about the high level of accidents but it is well reported, and I think members of this House know that. Every year drivers are killed or injured in road traffic accidents. As I have highlighted already, statistics show that this younger group has the highest number of accidents leading to death and disability. Research shows that risk and behaviour education, like the NRMA forums throughout New South Wales—

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