Originally Posted by _daz_

The restrictions will be a big step in the right direction on one hand, will cause other negative repercussions on the other.

The BIGGEST step in the right direction would have to be far more thorough driver training. Everybody complains about Perth's slow road speed limits, and when it comes to the argument of Australian road speed limits people time & time again bring up the example of Germany, it's autobahns and the speeds which are driven on them. So for this argument, i will raise the driver training which is undergone for a person to get their license in Germany. They undergo quite extensive driving theory before even sitting in the drivers seat of a vehicle, this encompasses basic automobile mechanics, vehicle maintenance, the difference in dynamics of driving a RWD, FWD AWD...and so on. You would be amazed at the number of people in Australia that would have no idea if their car was FWD, AWD or RWD, let alone what difference it makes to how they drive, or even how to maintain a vehicle so it is capable of travelling at high speeds safer. Getting, & KEEPING a license in Germany is not anywhere near as simple as it is in Australia.

So should P platers have a power restriction? YES!!! most definitely, until the driver training program, amongst other things, is improved. because at the moment the only way for a P-plate driver to learn the very basics of driving dynamics is through experience on the roads - as a P-plater-, the only way a P-plater learns how their SS Commodore ute handles at it's extremes is to go out on the roads and try it out, generally with no idea in advance of what could possibly happen, however the same maneuver in a low powered vehicle will have a far better chance of being controlled & survived as it would be more difficult to reach dangerous speeds. I am speaking in terms of those that manage to hit light poles in back streets from trying to drift a corner and lose it, or losing control driving at high speeds on moderate limit roads, not so much simply driving as fast as they possibly can down the freeway which is something every P-plater would have tried at one time or another.

On the flipside, i see a problem with drivers that would go out as soon as they're off their P-plates and buying a performance car and still not really having the necessary experience to control the vehicle safely. On this side of the argument all that is going to be achieved is the rate of teenage road deaths will decrease,, with a steady rise in the road toll of those in their early 20's.

I personally have lost quite a few friends to the roads, and this has in turn given me quite a deep respect for cars, the roads and driving in general. Yes i drive a high powered car now, but my first car was a Mitsubishi Lancer GX with a kick arse sound system, then i owned a camper van when i travelled Oz for a year or so, then i owned a FWD EJ22 Subaru Liberty (which gained itself quite a reputation amongst certain circles). I also had quite a lot more experience than most, before i was anywhere near old enough to get my license, when it came to extreme driving as i used to navigate for my dad on rallies and rode shotgun many times during drift practice with mates. Yes at times i have been known to do some things on the roads which may be deemed by some as stupid, but these are calculated risks, which have the appropriate factors taken into consideration beforehand, and one thing i have learned from losing people to the roads is to always drive within my limits on the roads, the track is the place to push those boundaries. When i see young kids at work on P-plates buying Ford XR6 Turbo's, i cringe, because they see me as a young person driving a performance vehicle and naturally they want to do the same, they forget that i am still 5-6 years older, and when i was their age was happy to cruise round with the sub thumping...and i know the only thing i can do is to try and pass on my experiences and urge them to attend driver training courses and even skidpan days at the AHG/RAC track to really learn their car, coz i'm tired of seeing young kids ending up wrapped round a pole because our government couldn't be bothered educating them more thoroughly about what getting behind the wheel of a vehicle really entails.

_daz_