Editorial: 62 new drivers have already been stung as P-platers are failing to heed Tom’s Law message

Say what you like about young drivers, they are proving to be no different to other generations on the roads. Figures confirming more than one P-plate driver is caught breaking passenger rules every week since Tom’s Law was enacted nearly a year ago is proof that among WA’s most inexperienced drivers exists an element of deliberate risk-takers. It is more than four years since Perth teenagers Tom Saffioti and Mark Bogoni were killed in a crash, and almost 12 months since the new law named in Tom’s memory was brought in to limit the number of passengers new drivers can have in their vehicle. The new law means drivers can’t have more than one other one non-immediate family passenger in their vehicle during their first six months on WA roads. The “Red Plate, One Mate” argument cements the proven road safety advice that for inexperienced drivers, the fewer distractions the better. Probationary drivers also continue to be subject to a night-time driving curfew between midnight and 5am. The lived experience of new drivers and their friends has been one of frustration, especially when it means they can’t carpool to school or a weekend party. But that’s a far sight better than the the grief that people such as Samantha Saffioti — Tom’s mum — are left to live with. No less than 62 new drivers have already been busted chancing the law put in place specifically to keep them safer on the roads. Somewhat ominously, the figure — more than one a week — could be higher. Police say their focus since Tom’s Law came into being last December has been to educate new drivers rather than issue infringements. “Education will be prioritised, but enforcement will be firm where safety is at risk,” WA police told The West Australian. That approach is commendable as long as their tactic — at a time imperative to new motorists refining their driving habits — serves as a lesson never to be forgotten. It is unclear how many drivers have so far escaped with just a warning, but police still identified 62 cases where a $200 fine and two demerit point sanction was a necessary course of action. Distraction is considered one of the “Fatal Five” contributing factors to serious and fatal crashes. Law-makers have taken away the opportunity for multiple passengers to be a cause of distraction for newcomers on our roads. But it is still up to drivers themselves to follow the rules. Failing to do so is nothing short of deliberate risk-taking behaviour. Ms Saffioti has been rightly championed for channelling the heartbreaking loss of her 15-year-old son into a campaign for reform, one that with the guidance of road safety experts, stakeholders and other people with lived experience of road trauma led to Tom’s Law. Parents today and into the future should continue to be thankful for any and every precaution afforded as their precious children navigate the riskiest period of their driving careers. But they, like young drivers themselves, should be under no illusion that deliberate risk-taking is still a root problem on the roads. Responsibility for the editorial comment is taken by WAN Editor-in-Chief Christopher Dore