P-platers Face Ban On Driving Powerful Cars

[diamondjo]

That takes me back! That was my missus' first car (the mazda though, not the ford). It was awesome fun, not because it was fast or powerful, but because it was old and needed work and when you went to work on it - everything was so accessible, parts were dead easy to come by and you pretty much just needed a socket set and away you went. I learned a lot from that car.

[diamondjo]

Anywho, i know that when i first got my skyline i wasnt used to the power it made, and i had been driving for 18months before hand, i also know that when i first got a car (lancer) i got into some hairy situations, these would of been greatly worsened if i had been driving my skyline at the time.

^ Agreed. I got into some nasty situations with my Charade, once parking it in a tree after it had just rained and several other newbie mistakes that we all have while learning. Even at the time I had said "If I had a more powerful car, I'd probably be dead by now". Because when you're on your P's you ARE still learning and you're also just starting to get a feel for the car, the dynamics of it, what it's limits are. At that level of experience, it's better to have a car that isn't going to turn around and bite your head off the second you make a mistake.

As others have said, in a HPV everything happens a lot faster. When you're learning, you need time to react, time to understand what's happening - and yes, better to do that at 80km/h than 200.

[Ehgriez]

I dont think its the speed so much as the acceleration, quick losses in traction especially for an inexperienced driver are just recipes for disaster.

[08yannch]

I dont think its the speed so much as the acceleration, quick losses in traction especially for an inexperienced driver are just recipes for disaster.

yes i will agree with u there but the acceleration can also be good having avoided many accidents because my skyline could get away from the hazard

and on the other hand the handling of my skyline has also helped me to avoid many accidents as well

so P plater driving fast cars is probs a bad idea but these cars can also be a blessing in disguise its just a minority f**k it for the rest of us

[aerofocker]

now i may be ignorant here but if a p plate is like our l plate in ireland all ye should be allowed to drive is one litre baby cars! too mank kids stick powerful cars into regular people, as for driving a rwd skyline,my god are you mad?

Edited April 14, 2010 by aerofocker

[Ten Four]

K, so I should be shot for having a 400rwhp GTR on P plates?

nah man. I'm no tool.

Just the other 99.9% of the population =)

Edited April 14, 2010 by Ten Four

[aerofocker]

how long do you have to stay on p plates?is it done on age?

[RB25PWR]

I can only comment on NSW laws, which are 1 year for Red P plates. 2 years for Green P plates. The difference between the two is that on your red P plates I believe you only get like 3 or 4 demerit points and then on your greens you get like 6. Also red p plates can only travel at 90km, green 100km.

Also current P plates don't have to worry about these restrictions come in because it will be implemented like all the other states. Eg. "If you get your P plate license after June 2010 you will not be allowed to drive any car with X power to weigh ratio".

So no, current P plates won't be pissed. I got NFI how P platers afford insurance for their cars anyway... I'm 22 and I still think it's too expensive!

[08yannch]

I can only comment on NSW laws, which are 1 year for Red P plates. 2 years for Green P plates. The difference between the two is that on your red P plates I believe you only get like 3 or 4 demerit points and then on your greens you get like 6. Also red p plates can only travel at 90km, green 100km.

Also current P plates don't have to worry about these restrictions come in because it will be implemented like all the other states. Eg. "If you get your P plate license after June 2010 you will not be allowed to drive any car with X power to weigh ratio".

So no, current P plates won't be pissed. I got NFI how P platers afford insurance for their cars anyway... I'm 22 and I still think it's too expensive!

its 2 expensive for any car. comprehensive for me is $2500 with a $2000 excess so i got 3rd party fire and theft 4 $600. i know ppl that drive cars from camry to subarus to comonwhores and they all have to pay a similar rate.

i can under stand why ppl want these new laws put through but look i have had my skyline from the get go and i dont hoon or do anything stupid rarely i will give it some boot in 1st 2nd but thats it. to tell u the truth i drive safer than my friends that drive "slow" cars. they spin the wheels, do handbrakies drop clutch, drift around corners and ppl think import drivers are bad.

[antimatter33]

From the horse's mouth (WA government!)

http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/TopicsRoadSafety/...werfulCars.aspx

"Contrary to popular myth, young drivers are no more at risk of death or serious injury by driving powerful cars than other drivers. Vehicle performance is unrelated to a novice driver's risk of being killed or seriously injured in the first two years of holding a licence."

So no need to worry fellow P platers .

[aerofocker]

yea what about the people the smash in to? i would be dead if i had a powerfull car as my first,ach hey your train set!

[Mayuri Krab]

This is bound to happen sooner or later as it has being happening for years over the Eastern states.

Straight V8/turbo/supercharge ban is the easiest for the cops to enforce & therefore they are probably going with that, kw/tonne ratio ban is too difficult considering cops can't tell the difference between a turbo Toyota Chaser with our granny spec Corolla or Camry.

I doubt they will ban standard 6cyls cars because that is what most Aussie parents drive with their base model commodore & falcons & many P platers I know who don't care about cars won't buy their own car & just drive their parents car around. So banning that will result in them to have no cars, then their parents will probably start complaining & the last thing the government want is to have parents complaining.

They don't care about us "hoons" (for owning a import) complaining because hell we are already seen by TT/ACA as the publics' #1 enemy.

I got my GTS-T about 1 or 2 weeks after I got my Ps & I have never got in trouble with the police & have never got any fines so I think this ban is stupid & won't do anything. If you are a responsible driver then you will be responsible even in a bugatti veyron & if you are a wanker driver then you will be a wanker even in a POS Hyundai excel.

In fact most of the time I see people acting stupid are in their base model VN commodores, riced up excels & so forth which the ban won't touch anyway...

But then again, I really can't be f**ked to care anymore, since I'm off my Ps anyway

Edited April 19, 2010 by Mayuri Krab

[relic21]

glad i got my licence when i did . laws these days for provisional drivers, and obtaining drivers licences are getting way too ridiculous

[bubba]

From the horse's mouth (WA government!)

http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/TopicsRoadSafety/...werfulCars.aspx

"Contrary to popular myth, young drivers are no more at risk of death or serious injury by driving powerful cars than other drivers. Vehicle performance is unrelated to a novice driver's risk of being killed or seriously injured in the first two years of holding a licence."

So no need to worry fellow P platers .

Given the increasing community concern about novice drivers' access to high powered vehicles, the Road Safety Council has recommended that further research on the crash involvement of novice drivers be conducted before further recommendations be made to Government.

[saweeet4DR]

Just my personal view and no shots intended to all the young drivers and P plater's out there,but i think that P platers should do out there time in P.O.S's and 4 cyl cars with sml to medium power as i have seen wwwwway to many p platers and young idiots around (and specialy in my area) doing f*kd up shit on the roads and disrespecting any1 else who comes along or is in the vicinity when they do this shit.I know 2 many 18 - 22 year olds with gen 3 SS's or "riced up cars" that cant even handle their cars in the dry let alone in the wet and then when they get out on the roads they think its all a big fun game and they r invinsable and they have the fastest most powerfull car on the road.The laws could be alot worse for younger drivers and be alot better for evry1 else doing the right thing on the roads but really all i can see hapning is WA coming a police state soon and the public will have no say in what goes on.....

[R33_NICK]

i had my skyline since my Ls and glad i went through my Ps in it as well. finally being off my probation is such a relief especially since they are comin up with all this ban-p-plate shit. as far as im concern, you dont do anything wrong, you wont have problems.

[DR1FT4]

^ Same with me i had my Skyline on my L's and now i'm on my P's i still have it. saying people need to learn in low powered cars first is stupid, the way you learn is by doing something so the secnario will be completley different if you learnt in a hyandai exel then got a skyline/silvia thinking they know how to handle it until they get in that situation and it is totally different because i know my skyline handles differently to every other car, even other skylines, it's about being able to control the car your driving and every car is different (maybe not commodores but you get the idea) so until you get in it and learn IN it then you have never fully learnt.

[bubba]

Learn in a Corolla or a Gemini like the rest of us did. You P Platers are f**king spoilt nowadays.

[Ten Four]

[dan_the_man]

Interesting read:

http://www.ors.wa.gov.au/_layouts/getAsset...;RCN=D09#223177

Abstract

Speeding is acknowledged as one of the major risk factors for the involvement of young and novice drivers in

motor vehicle crashes. The use of high performance vehicles by novice drivers is perceived to contribute to both

their risk of speeding and crashing. There is however, no consistent empirical evidence to support this

perception. The primary aim of this study was to assess the relationship between vehicle power to weight ratio

and the risk of involvement in a serious injury crash for drivers in their first two years of licensing. The

univariate findings of 662 crashes and the analysis of 84 case-control pairs provided evidence to suggest that

young novice driver serious injury crashes are not characterised by ‘high’ vehicle power to weight ratios, nor is

vehicle power to weight ratio statistically associated with an increase in the odds of being involved in a serious

injury crash. The report concluded with three recommendations addressing young novice drivers and vehicle

restrictions, sanctions for speeding, and vehicle selection education, and one additional recommendation for the

inclusion of vehicle power output information in the registration details of new vehicles.