The P Plate Debate Hot30 Countdown 10 November, 2008 - 4:09 PM

Pic: The Daily Telegraph

After being given a dressing down by the magistrate, banned for driving until 2013 and ordered to attend community service and a driving offender's program, 19 year old Cody Heap gave photographers the thumbs up as he left court. He pleaded guilty to charges of failing to stop for a random breath test, and driving dangerously whilst disqualified - and avoided a possible jail sentence.

60 Minutes called them drivers who are "Licenced To Kill".

With an average of 2 P platers dying each week, young drivers continue to lose their lives on Australian roads.

A lot of ideas have been thrown around to try and reduce the number of young driver fatalities, including:

• Curfews
• Passenger restrictions
• Banning powerful cars for P platers
• Advanced driving courses
• Better public transport
• Getting a licence at 18
• Speed control via satellite

Everyone's got an opinion. Everyone's got a solution. What's yours?

Are the drivers to blame? What about the cars? The road rules? Have your say.

(77) »

• Kayleen says

  I dont think its fair to be naming all P plate drivers dangerous... wich is what happends when they see them driving around. i am a P plate driver and i would never speed intentionaly or do anything stupid, yet when police see you they follow you to see if you do anything wrong!.or search your car to find the tiniest things wrong them so they can get you off the road or give you a massive fine... i think the passenger restrictions are a little stupid. my sister is 18 and her bf is 19. when they go out drinking i cannot take both of them home because of that stupid rule. they have to either get my mum out of bed, or catch a taxi wich cost a damn fortune!...advanced driving courses could be an option, although not every1 can afford them, so it could become a problem. i am really only speaking for myself here...i dont do anything stupid although yes we have those few couple of idiots that like to play god with every1s lives and ruin it for every1....

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 4:53 PM
• Lola says

  PUT SOME HUGE GANGSTER DUDE NEXT TO THE P PLATER WHEN THEY ARE DRIVING AND WHENEVER THEY DO SOMETHING WRONG THE GUY WILLL BE LIKE " DONT MAKE ME BUST THIS CAP UP YOUR A**"

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 5:56 PM
• Suthel says

  Upping the age to 18 won't help. It's 18 here in Victoria, but it doesn't change much. Just because the experts say that the intellectual capabilities of an 18 year old are far greater than that of a 17 year old, doesn't mean an 18 year old will drive better than a 17 year old.
  Just because someone has a bigger brain capacity doesn't mean they'll instantly be smarter and wiser than someone with less capacity.

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 8:35 PM
• Ava says

  Yeah, maybe it has been scientifically proven that there is a huge difference between a 17 year olds brain and an 18 year olds, but it doesnt make 17 year olds stupid. Yeah there are going to be those 17 year olds that speed down a 60Km per hour street at 100 Km. But there are also going to be 50 year olds that do it too! I practicially get drag racing down my quiet little street. One day walking home from school, wishing there would be police officers on my street to catch the idiots speeding, I saw a police officer doing the same thing! speeding! one year is not going to make a difference, there will always be silly people who speed beyond belief.

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 9:44 PM
• Matt says

  Half the full-liscenced drivers are worse than P-platers because they think they own the road, and although they have "more experience," they become more casual, and put a double standard on young drivers. As an L-Plater who has to do 120 hours (another freaking stupid rule, it won't change anything), being on the road lots to increase those hours, I see full liscened drives do far more incredibly stupid things than P-Platers, and only P-platers in a group egging each other on start being stupid, full drivers do it on their own because they don't have a rule check, and think the road is theirs, and it's our priveledge to be on "their road." Get it through your heads, driving is NOT a right, and public transport is there when your idiocy gets your liscence taken away from you. The points system is dumb. You screw up, you should lose it. Giving someone a second chance just because they have more years on the road won't deter, it'll just encourage them to do it again.

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 9:52 PM
• Nicole says

  I'm also a P-plater and agree that SOME P-platers are absolutely hopeless drivers but some of us are also good drivers who are aware of the fact that we don't have as much experience as others on the roads and act accordingly. I have had my licence for 8 months and have never had even a mild accident. I don't think that raising the age to 18 is going to minimize the tolls dramatically.
  I think the P-plate is also at times a danger to the driver. I get tooted for slowing down to take a corner and I have been almost run off the road and deliberately swerved into by a 4WD all because I have a smaller car and a P-plate on the windscreen.
  I think idiots like that guy are just as dangerous but no-one says he can't drive!

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 9:55 PM
• Ash says

  iam on my green Ps & im 19. i think p platers shud stop tryin 2 b god and think there effin awesome. u drink n drive ur hopeless and its not funny or cool. young drivers just need 2 start growin up. going to your best friends funeral because you were drink driving n crashed isnt so funny is it? think again kids.

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 11:07 PM
• Amit says

  its insain puttin the age limt up
  the gov is just taking the easy way out
  i mean there are ppl like me that start workin at an early age and lets not start with sydneys public transport hehe
  but yea its stupid i mean why not put more cops on the road all they do is stop P platers any way its like no one eles is driving on the rosds but us yes there are a few $#@%!* out there but that does not mean they can say every P plater on the road is a dad driver and ppl of sydney are no better the never give way 2 a P plater i think that why some of us drive bad its realy stupid
  btw i m a P plater as well and a safe driver but some ppl just drive so dam slow cut in when ever and where ever the want

  Posted Monday 10 November, 2008 11:19 PM
• Kieran says

  By making more restrictions for P platers makes More- frustrated Drivers getting of their l's, if you restrict it more less people will have jobs, and their will be more deaths on the road.

  I, think the best way to combat the problem is to Introduce a Advancded Driver Course (complusory before going to the P plate test). And if you still cant pass the P1 Test then you learn more!!

  More Restrictions=More Fatalities

  Posted Tuesday 11 November, 2008 2:26 PM
• lawrence says

  i agree with previous comments, just because i'm a P plate driver doesn't mean im dangerous. I don't do donuts in carparks, i don't tailgate, it's wrong that we all get bunched together. As a green p-plater i don't have passanger restrictions which i'm happy about. The whole idea about a DD driver goes out the window otherwise. I work as a casual courier and am on the road alot, i'd challenge anyone to say that i'm a bad driver

  Posted Tuesday 11 November, 2008 3:47 PM

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