Report Calls For Lower Alcohol Limit And Graduated Licensing By 2020

A new report by the Australian Transport Council calls on the State Governments to review the current 0.05 alcohol limit and to institute a 'best practice' graduated licensing system.

Released this week, the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020 aims to cut road deaths and injuries by 30 percent in the next 10 years.

Among its recommendations, the report urges that future road projects must be designed with a focus on reducing the risk of crashes.

It also calls for an ongoing public awareness campaign of the importance of abiding by posted speed limits.

"The draft strategy makes the point that Australians should not regard death and injury as an inevitable cost of road travel," Catherine King, the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.

"This strategy embodies a bold and ambitious vision, and it encompasses a wide range of road safety measures not all of which may be popular."

The report recommends that speed limits should also be lowered for trucks, for both safety and environmental reasons.

A standardised 'best practice' graduated licensing scheme should be adopted, the report reads, with better assessment processes, with new curriculum resources (beginning at pre-school), better protective clothing for motorcyclists and limits to the number of passengers new and younger drivers can carry.

Many of the report's recommendations have been ongoing points of concern, including the banning of mobile phones and lowering the current 0.05 blood alcohol limit.

The report calls for legislators to consider changes to the current limit for different license categories over the next three years, although it does not specify which categories should be reviewed.

Ms King said that the report is open to discussion and feedback, with input from the public welcomed and encouraged.

Readers can learn more about the report, and provide feedback, by visiting the Australian Transport Council website.