The Rudd Labor Government will provide funding of $17 million to an innovative road safety program which over the next five years will deliver more than 200,000 free driving lessons to learner drivers and their parents.

Later today I will launch keys2drive in Tasmania (Hobart) – the State in which the program will be fine tuned by the Australian Automobile Association before being rolled out nationally from early next year.

Once implemented, keys2drive will:

•  Provide learner drivers and a parent or mentor with a free professional driving lesson from an accredited instructor;


•  Support parents and mentors with instructional material and practical guidance on how to provide effective supervision and training to a learner driver;


•  Establish an interactive website which will offer short instructional videos, guides for handling various road terrains and weather conditions, and the location of their nearest accredited driving instructor; and


• Deliver the country’s first ever national accreditation scheme for driving instructors.

A young person is at far greater risk of being involved in a fatal car accident than other drivers. Nearly a third of people killed on Australian roads are aged 16 to 25 – yet they represent only 15 per cent of the population.

In fact, young people go from being one of the safest drivers on the road when on their L plates to being one of the most likely to have a car crash the moment they get their P plates.

We must and will do more to prevent these tragedies.

keys2drive is an important new road safety initiative. It will provide extra incentive for novice drivers to get more on-the-road experience and will assist those supervising them – usually their parents – to become better informed and more confident in undertaking this important role.

The Rudd Labor Government is committed to making our roads safer for all drivers. keys2drive is a practical way of equipping young people with the skills they need for a lifetime of safer driving.