The political battle between New South Wales Labor and the Liberal Party has intensified with both sides presenting their pre-election road reform policies. The Liberal Party promised to waive fines for drivers who have avoided infringements for the past three years, which has come under criticism from Labor’s shadow roads minister John Graham.
He accused the government of offering more confusion over road policy and rewarding drivers who are breaking the law. The opposition believes that it is time for new ideas in road policy and that Labor’s plan of rewarding drivers who remain infringement-free for a year with the removal of a demerit point each year is a safer and better option.
In response to Labor’s policy, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward claimed that it would reward drivers who continually break the law, while the Liberal and Nationals policy would reward good drivers and provide an incentive to prioritise safety on the roads. NSW Labor leader Chris Minns believes that it is time to put the safety back at the centre of road rules and that the Labor party’s policy would provide positive incentives to motorists to drive safely.
The current road rules require drivers to wait three years for a demerit point to be removed, while under the Labor policy, a demerit point would be removed each year if the driver remains infringement-free for twelve months. The Liberal party’s plan, on the other hand, would waive fines for low-level offences for motorists who have a three-year clean driving record, but the demerit points would remain.
A total of 227,500 fines were issued in 2021 for low-level offences to motorists with a clean driving record for three years, amounting to $39.2 million in fines. Both major parties are trying to win over NSW motorists by either offering cash incentives or restoring demerit points to reward safe drivers.
With the state election around the corner, the political battle for the votes of drivers has intensified. Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward claimed that the Liberal and National policy rewards good drivers and provides a real incentive to put safety first, while Opposition Roads spokesman John Graham referred to the government’s policy as the “world’s fastest U-turn.”
“The Liberal Government is offering more confusion over road policy and rewards for safe drivers who are breaking the law”, Graham said in a statement.
“Yesterday the Government was opposed to incentives for safer driving, today they are in favour. This would have to be the world’s fastest U-turn. More than 600,000 people have been fined for low-level speeding, but the road toll has gone up. In view of the Opposition, it is time to try some new ideas. We welcome the government doing so.”
One of the biggest challenges facing both parties is the rising number of tragic accidents on the roads. In Western Sydney, there have been numerous reports of fatal accidents, with many families losing loved ones. The loss of life on the roads is a tragedy that affects everyone in the community, and the parties are looking for ways to address this problem.
The significance of road deaths in Western Sydney cannot be overstated. The area is one of the busiest in Australia, with thousands of people commuting to and from work every day. The roads are also home to some of the country’s most important transport links, including the M4 and M7 motorways. The increasing number of road fatalities in Western Sydney highlights the need for urgent action to be taken to improve road safety in the area.
According to 7NEWS, the fatal crash that took place on the M4 Motorway in Homebush on Tuesday, 7 February, was the result of excessive speed on the part of the vehicle involved. An Audi was being pursued by police when it crashed through a railing and went up in flames. The driver of the vehicle, Malas, should not have been behind the wheel as he was banned from driving until 2025.
The crash will be investigated by a critical incident team, and the investigation will be subject to independent review. Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Whyte stated that incidents such as this one, where people are harmed or killed on the roads, are unnecessary and will form part of the investigation.
After the crash, the Audi travelled approximately 20 meters through some vegetation before coming to a rest on its roof. Despite the heat and fire, a passing officer and two police students, as well as members of the public, tried to rescue Malas and his passenger, Dandan, from the burning wreckage. Sadly, both men died at the scene.
This tragic incident highlights the importance of road safety and the devastating consequences of reckless driving.
It will be interesting to see how each party’s promises to reward safe drivers amid the rise of deaths on our roads, will play out in the lead-up to the election.