What Is It With the "Pedestrian Council of Australia?"

In a performance that would make an ambulance chasing lawyer proud, the Pedestrian Council of Australia (PCA) managed, yet again, to get a mention in a news item related to a road accident. This latest instance was on ABC radio early on Monday morning, when reporting an accident that claimed the lives of four north coast NSW teenagers.

Included in the news item was the PCA pushing some of its extremist agenda regarding road safety. Raise the minimum age to obtain a licence and limit the number of passengers provisional drivers can carry. Simplistic solutions to complex problems.

The PCA, an anti-motoring lobby group, has a habit of obtaining this sort of publicity. Its access to the country's news rooms is extraordinary.

It's easy to imagine the PCA's CEO, Harold Scruby, having a bunch of generic news release templates on hand, ready to fax to news rooms at a moments notice. These releases make it easy for news writers to include a quick reaction to the event, before an official response is available.

The PCA has a right to state their views. I just wish that news editors would resist the urge to quote them whenever a road safety related news event happens. The PCA is unashamedly anti-motorist, and has undeservedly become the de facto voice of road safety opinion in NSW ... one that has far more influence than it deserves.

Footnote: Let me stress that I'm not trivialising the shocking accident that claimed the lives of four young men. As a parent, and knowing what I was like when first obtaining a licence, I am very concerned about the risks facing my kids when they are old enough to drive. But I also acknowledge that obtaining a licence is now far more arduous than it was 30 years ago when I obtained mine. Then, qualifying for a learner's permit was simply a matter of fronting with a birth certificate. No knowledge of driving was required. You could attempt (and often pass) a driving test with negligible driving experience. Provisional licences lasted only 12 months. There were no restrictions regarding alcohol consumption for inexperienced drivers.

Young drivers today face a far more demanding licencing regime, yet, tragically, some of them still get killed in accidents. Unfortunately, even if the PCA's measures were introduced, young drivers would contribute to the road toll. I don't believe that placing more restrictions on young drivers is the answer.

Eventually, parents have to hope they've instilled enough common sense in their kids to prevent them from placing themselves at risk, and pray that they won't be the very small minority who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.