Parents assisting their kids purchase a first vehicle must be spending that “little bit more” to ensure the car has at least some present safety functions, the federal transport minister has alerted, speaking against the backdrop of a sharp spike in road fatalities, particularly among the young.
Explaining the deaths of over 1200 individuals on Australian roads in last year as a “tragedy of national proportions”, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester said road trauma was costing federal governments in the nation about $30 billion a year, with an “immeasurable” social impact.
Improved road belongs to the solution as was much better driver behavior, Mr Chester stated, however safer vehicles had to become part of the combination, especially for young motorists.
“It is a complex equation” he informed ABC News 24 during an interview on New Years Day.
It was “one of the great ironies of modern-day life … that the worst vehicle you will ever own is most likely going to be your first automobile, and that’s when you are at the highest threat of having an accident”.
He stated parents helping kids with very first automobile purchases must “spend a bit more and get a vehicle with … safety functions” due to the fact that it increased survivability in the event of an accident.
Car-buyers could look for assistance from websites such as the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, he informed.
Most current figures from the Transport NSW Centre for Road Safety reveal a 10 percent boost in road deaths throughout the state in 2016 over the previous year, with a worrying 42 per cent jump in deaths among those aged in between 17 and 25. Road deaths among those aged between 26 and 39 increased by a 15 percent.
