To this day, Victoria remains the only state in the whole of Australia where solo driving is not legal until you are 18 years of age. This is not right as many young, yet to be apprentices are delayed in their tracks because they can’t drive to jobs and therefore are unable to apply for any work that requires personal transport.

Turning 18 doesn’t necessarily make somebody a better driver. Many forget that 18 is also the age where Victorians can legally start drinking. Teenagers will start participating in social activities such as going out to clubs, pubs and so forth. This essentially means that if they want to leave and are intoxicated, they may not be able to afford a taxi or have no public transport nearby tempting them to get on the road in a paralytic manner. As a 17 year old, they can’t legally get into those types of social venues which lowers the risk of drink driving. If they have a year of driving before they begin to drink, they may grow more responsible beforehand and the novelty of solo driving may have worn off a little by their 18th too.

As a young Australian, it has become quite evident in the last couple years how important having a job is and earning a good income to keep you happy and alive. This essentially means that there are many 17 year olds around Victoria just like me who are low on money and keen to enter the work force but are restricted harshly by the fact that we don’t have the privilege of personal transport until we turn 18. This angers me greatly because there are so many talented young Pre-Apprentices who are brilliant at what they do yet they get turned down by most employers because of their absence of a driver’s license. It’s not fair, not fair at all. It’s a big problem for those too who are battling family issues at home, domestic violence, parental issues and breakups and would just like to move out of home or at least be able to afford to support themselves if they decided to spend some time away from home. 

Victoria’s Death Toll is no more superior to any other state in Australia with a minimum driving age of 17 or less. Victoria still remains with the second highest death toll in these 2015 Statistics (198) with NSW being the highest (271) with a substantially larger population than Victoria (2.5MILLION More) this means that in relation to the population, despite Victoria’s age restrictions, it still remains with a higher percentage of deaths on roads. Because this is the case, it’s fairly obvious that we Victorians are doing something wrong, Introducing solo driving and drinking at the same time, perhaps? Whatever the problem is, the other states aren’t having it nearly as bad and there must be a reason behind it. (References to date used are each states government road statistics websites)

It should be made clear that this in not so much a requirement but more an option for Learner drivers to obtain their red P plates at 17 because as some may argue that one year isn’t long enough to complete the 120 hours of practice, many as well as myself are not even one year into their hours and are already more than half way there, I have fortunately already completed. Sure there will be many who will not be able to complete the 120 hours in just 12 months for a range of reasons, however for those who are enthusiastic about driving and need a trade, there’s no doubt they will finish the hours in 12 months.

In conclusion, it has been proven that it is very important for the State Government to change the current minimum driving age. Victoria should not have to be 1 year Delayed to the rest of Australia in terms of the solo driving age, it is more harm to us as a whole than good. The employment prospects of many Victorian youth should be assisted rather than hampered by the law.