Drivers renewing licences might have their road rule knowledge tested as the Queensland government aims to strengthen safety measures across the state.
An online refresher course coinciding with licence renewal is one of several measures being considered after Transport Minister Mark Bailey met with stakeholders in January in an effort to reduce the road toll.
The open-ended test would not involve physically sitting “some kind of exam” and licence holders could try as many times as needed to pass, Mr Bailey told reporters on Monday.
“It’s not whether we take your licence off you or not, it’s about educating you as a driver,” he said.
“If you don’t get it right the first time, you will get another shot at it and another shot at it until you do get it right.”
Similar to courses for learner and new drivers, Mr Bailey said there could be a pool of questions to help bring drivers up to speed on rule changes including new laws for cyclists and modifications taking into account the proliferation of e-scooters on Queensland streets.
“There’s a whole lot of things people could be more up to date on and it would be user friendly, online, on your own time (and) at your own house,” he said.
“That’s the kind of thing we’re planning for the public to give us some feedback on.”
The new test was one of several topics addressed by the road safety roundtable earlier this year.
Others included drivers caught exceeding speed limits by 40km/h or more having their licences suspended immediately rather than the three weeks it can sometimes currently take.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re just as dangerous as a drunk driver and you should have your keys taken off immediately,” Mr Bailey said.
The government on Monday also announced its Ride to Zero initiative to address motorcycle safety.
Motorcyclists make up five per cent of Queensland’s road users but contributed a quarter of its road toll last year.
Mr Bailey said it was deeply concerning to see 74 motorcycle deaths in 12 months.
The “sad truth” of many motorcycle deaths is they often don’t involve another party, the minister said.
“That clearly is a case of a rider going beyond their limits and paying a terrible, terrible price.
“We want to see that eliminated on our roads.”
The campaign involves working with motorcycle clubs to increase training and skill of new riders.
© AAP 2023
