Road Traffic (Penalties for Certain Offences with Child in Vehicle) Amendment Bill 2024

The Hon. J.S. LEE (22:35): 

I rise today to support the Road Traffic (Penalties for Certain Offences with Child in Vehicle) Amendment Bill 2024. This bill aims to address a critical issue affecting the safety of children: the proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Act to increase penalties for offences committed with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle. I thank the Hon. Frank Pangallo for introducing this bill.

The safety of children should be a focus of our society. We have a responsibility to protect our young people from harm under all circumstances, whether they are at home, at school, in the playground, including when they are passengers in vehicles. All too often, drivers are making decisions on our roads that put children and young people at risk. The proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act respond to alarming statistics: close to 500 incidents have been before the courts since January 2022 involving drug or drink driving with a child under 16 present. Almost half of these were for drink driving.

We all know the effects of alcohol on decision-making and response time. Alcohol interferes with the brain's ability to process information and make sound judgments. It lowers inhibitions, leading individuals to take more risks. Additionally, response times can be up to 25 per cent slower when a driver is under the influence. Similarly, driving under the influence of illicit drugs poses significant risks. The effects of drugs on driving ability varied, but it is well documented that both drugs and alcohol impair driver ability. Cannabis can slow reaction times and alter perception, amphetamines can decrease impulse control and coordination, and drugs like MDMA can impair information processing and increase risk taking.

In addition to these offences, this bill also seeks to increase penalties for excessive speeding and reckless and dangerous driving when a child under 16 is present. These activities are already illegal, with existing penalties including fines, demerit points and incarceration. What this bill seeks to do is to give the courts the ability to impose even higher penalties when it is clear that the driver's actions have purposefully increased the risk of harm or death to a young person by having them in the vehicle.

Passing these amendments will help demonstrate our commitment to road safety and, more importantly, ensure the safety and protection of children and young people. It is crucial that we continue to prioritise and act swiftly on all matters concerning child protection, acting in the best interest of a child in all circumstances. Children are precious cargo in vehicles and we have a duty of care to ensure that those who commit the offence will have higher penalties. With those remarks, I support the bill.