Young drivers in regional NSW will be given a cash incentive to help them buy a newer, safer vehicle under a state-first program by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new Safer Cars for Country Kids program will provide a $5000 subsidy for up to 1,000 young drivers to help them purchase a safer car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Premier Dominic Perrottet said this program would help save lives in the bush by getting younger people into safer cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe will get old and unsafe cars off our country roads and make it easier for young drivers to get behind the wheel of a safer car,\u201d Mr Perrottet said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is extra incentive for kids in the bush to ditch their old cars and upgrade to a more modern vehicle with better safety features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYoung drivers in regional areas clock up the miles, and this is one way we can lower the risk of country kids being seriously injured or losing their life in car accidents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW and Minister for Police Paul Toole said the initiative recognised that young drivers are much more likely to inherit the old family car, or buy an older, cheaper or less safe vehicle as their first car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery parent wants to know their kids are in the safest possible car when they head off down the road, especially in the regions where they are driving longer distances and dealing with additional challenges like dust and roos,\u201d Mr Toole said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis landmark trial will provide a helping hand to young drivers to buy a safer set of wheels \u2013 and give their families greater confidence in their safety every time they\u2019re on the road.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government will first trial up to 50 young people in selected areas, before rolling out in phases to all regional areas across the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we want young people to really benefit from this program then we have to get it right, and this trial will provide us feedback on what works and what doesn\u2019t,\u201d Mr Farraway said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re under the age of 25, drive a car with a used car safety rating of 1 or 2 stars, or is unrated and over 16-years-old, you may be eligible to participate in the program and upgrade to a safer vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHaving good and effective programs that help our next generation of road users such as Safer Cars for Country Kids, will help to keep our great state moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peter Frazer OAM, President of Safer Australian Roads and Highways, supports the initiative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cToo many novice drivers in our regional communities are killed or seriously injured simply because their vehicles are not as safe as they could be,\u201d Mr Frazer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cProviding support to those who are most at risk will allow them to upgrade their cars to safer ones. This initiative will help save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driver education specialist Matthew Irvine said staying safe on the road presents extra challenges for young people living in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople living in regional NSW usually spend more time on the road, driving longer distances and at higher speeds. Programs such as the one announced today will definitely help keep our young people safe on the roads,\u201d Mr Irvine said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResearch shows newer vehicles equipped with advanced active and passive safety technology are far less likely to be involved in a fatal crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs someone who educates young drivers, today\u2019s announcement is a big positive and a step in the right direction to saving more lives on our roads.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The average age of vehicles in NSW is 10 years, and it takes longer for newer cars with better safety technology to filter out to younger drivers, especially those in regional areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electronic Stability Control and advanced safety features such as, autonomous emergency braking or Lane Keeping System technologies have proven to reduce crashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More information on eligibility is available here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Young drivers in regional NSW will be given a cash incentive to help them buy a newer, safer vehicle under a state-first program by the NSW Liberal and Nationals Government. The new Safer Cars for Country Kids program will provide a $5000 subsidy for up to 1,000 young drivers to help them purchase a safer … Continue reading “New bid to drive safer cars for country kids”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20261"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20261\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20262,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20261\/revisions\/20262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}