Message from the President

Transport and road neglect is in our sights

At celebrations earlier this year for our 90th anniversary, many people were surprised NRMA was initially formed as an advocacy group.

The work of our patrols did not begin until 1924 - four years later.

Recent events have reminded us that 90 years on, our work standing up for motorists is as important as ever.

You may have recently seen media reports about NRMA's BusinessWise Members survey, which showed that 82 per cent of businesses reported worsening congestion on our roads.

The fact that congestion on our roads is getting worse is of concern. What is even more concerning is that there are no plans at either state or federal level to fix the mess.

The State and Federal Budgets and the NSW Government's Transport Plan have all been handed down.

The Transport Plan included an increase in vehicle registrations and both budgets showed yet another increase in revenue generated by taxes on motorists.

Yet the Transport Plan and Federal Budget included no new money to fix the problems on our roads. Also, while NRMA helped secure an additional $300 million for NSW roads in the State Budget, Sydney's major new freeways aren't even on the drawing board.

This situation can't be allowed to continue. Better roads save lives, improve productivity and ensure communities are connected.

We have all been let down by decades of road funding neglect, and the longer we delay investing in our roads, the worse the situation will get.

That is why NRMA will up the ante on our road advocacy work with a new campaign in the lead-up to the state and federal elections.

More funding for roads and securing Australia's transport energy future are two key areas on which we will focus our advocacy work over the next 12 months.

NRMA takes the lead on safer driving

Learning to drive can be just as nerve-wracking for parents, relatives and friends as it is for the student. A new NRMA survey has revealed some of the difficulties these supervisors and parents face before, during and after lessons with a learner driver.

Of the 413 supervisors surveyed, 93 per cent said there was insufficient information available for them to correctly teach a learner driver.

The information is out there. For one reason or another, supervisors aren't using it or don't know where to find it.

Only half (52 per cent) of supervisors have read the RTA Learners' Kit, one in three (37 per cent) have read the road rules and one in 10 admitted to doing no preparation - all of which could lead to learners starting out with bad driving habits.

NRMA Safer Driving School has responded to this problem and is developing an education centre on its website, complete with resources and links for supervisors and learner drivers.

MA hopes the education centre - with links to resources including the RTA Learners' Kit and road rules - will help supervisors become better prepared to teach good driver behaviour.

With better preparation, supervisors could provide quality tuition from the start.

This was a concern for 60 per cent of supervisors who would change their teaching habits if they could have their supervising roles over again.

The compulsory 120 hours of logbook learner driving placed huge strains on some families and NRMA's call on the NSW Government to reduce the burden on parents was answered in November last year.

Since then a learner driver can mark three hours in their logbook - up to a maximum of 30 hours - for each one-hour lesson made with a qualified instructor.

However, it was surprising to learn that half (54 per cent) of supervisors were not aware of the 3-for-1 lesson deal. The survey results have helped NRMA to develop a deeper understanding of the supervisory experience.

Visit NRMA Safer Driving School for more information.

Wendy Machin

President

July 2010