Young drivers safer under world leading trial

Young drivers have overwhelmingly given the NSW Government’s Telematics trial the thumbs up, with the final report confirming the cutting edge technology could potentially prevent 159 casualty crashes and 83 non-casualty crashes involving young drivers in NSW each year.

Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said 717 drivers under the age of 25 from across the State participated on the trial from July 2018 to March 2019, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.

“Telematics is like a “black box” for cars and a “fit bit” for drivers that provides feedback to drivers via their smartphones on speed, acceleration, braking and turning,” Mr Dominello said.

“Young drivers simply love the technology and think it could make our roads safer – 89 per cent of trial participants believed the number of crashes on NSW roads would decrease if more drivers had telematics devices installed in their cars.”

Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said young drivers are up to 4.5 times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash and up to 5 times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle crash resulting in death or serious injury.

“This trial has been a game changer, proving Telematics has the potential to not only make young drivers safer and better, but also save lives,” Mr Constance said.

The report found drivers who received feedback from the device had a lower frequency and severity of speeding, harsh braking, rapid acceleration and harsh cornering behaviours. Key findings included:

  • 38.9 per cent lower rate of high range speeding (i.e. speeding at more than 20km/h above the limit);
  • 24.9 per cent lower rates of very rapid acceleration per 1000km; and
  • 42 per cent lower rates extreme harsh braking events per 1000km.

The Government will review the report’s findings and consider potential next steps. The data from the devices was anonymised and shared with the State Insurance Regulatory Authority and the NSW Centre for Road Safety. It wasn’t shared with the NSW Police. The report is available at www.sira.nsw.gov.au

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