Parliamentary Inquiry into road safety
Road safety will be the focus of a new Parliamentary Inquiry as part of the NSW Government’s commitment to zero road deaths by 2050.
Minister for Metropolitan Roads Natalie Ward said the NSW Government will initiate an inquiry in the next term of Government to look at whether the Road Transport Act 2013 can be improved, particularly when it comes to dangerous drivers.
“This inquiry will hear directly from those impacted by dangerous driving so we can ensure this legislation is fit for purpose on an issue that is devastating for victims, families and the wider community,” Mrs Ward said.
“In 2021 we recorded the lowest road death toll in NSW in 99 years but every death is still one too many, which is why we’re committed to doing everything we can to prevent deaths and serious injury on our roads.
“I thank the Road Trauma Support Group NSW for its valuable feedback and advocacy on this important issue on behalf of families and victims of serious road crime.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the inquiry will consider the current licensing system in NSW.
“Country people make up around a third of NSW’s population but over the past five years, deaths on country roads have made up 67 per cent of lives lost on all roads,” Mr Farraway said.
“A death in a country town extends beyond the immediate family to the local cop who attends the scene, to the community who sees one less familiar face around.
“These are the impacts that I want drivers on our regional roads to think about the every time they get behind the wheel.
“Our aim is to prevent drivers from committing offences and engaging in dangerous behaviour in the first place to stop these preventable deaths.”
The Inquiry will complement the Law Reform Commission’s review of serious road crime and the experiences of victims of serious road crime and their families, announced by the Attorney General on 11 November 2022.
In addition, on 17 November 2022, the NSW Government passed the Motor Accident Injuries Amendment Bill 2022 which enables the State Insurance Regulatory Authority to establish a trauma support service for families of those who have been injured or killed because of a motor accident. This new service will provide support in the period after the accident and will connect and guide those impacted by the incident.
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