Road safety campaigners have called for a new tax on drivers of utes and large SUVs to try and cut the road toll.
Speaking to a Victorian government enquiry into road safety, Dr Ingrid Johnston of the Australasian College of Road Safety has advocated for a levy on larger vehicles because of the role they play in fatal accidents.
Road deaths are on the rise as sales of SUVs and utes surge in Australia, with almost 75 per cent (74.6%) of all new vehicles sold in the first seven months of 2023 falling into those two categories. So, Dr Johnston wants to try and push Australians away from such big vehicles and into smaller and potentially safer models.
“It’s being done elsewhere,” Dr Johnston told the enquiry. “To disincentivise people from purchasing these cars in the first place, you could increase import tax.
“You could try to disincentivise them being used in the middle of cities, so you could have a levy for bringing a vehicle of a certain size. You could increase registration fees.”
According to the latest sales figures, released at the end of July, the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux remain the two best-selling models in the country. The rest of the top 10 selling vehicles for July featured five SUVs, including the Toyota LandCruiser and Prado, as well as the Isuzu D-Max ute. That left the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 as the only small cars amongst the most popular models.
Therefore adding a new levy or tax on utes and SUVs will be an unpopular move, but there is also evidence something needs to be done to cut the road toll. The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) released data in August that highlighted an increase in road fatalities. According to the AAA report, 1234 Australians died on the road in the 12 months to July 2023, an 8.4 per cent increase over the previous 12 month period. This comes despite state governments around the country pushing road safety campaigns with a focus on speeding.
Dr.Johnstone doesn’t seem to be getting much support and rightly so. There’s a valid reason why I as a retired paramedic choose a larger vehicle. Look beyond vehicle type and put driver training and habits under the microscope.
Where does levying at tax create a safer road environment?
Proper road training and increasing driver skills would do 100 times more to avoid road trauma than creating another tax that contributes nothing to the outcome. People will buy larger vehicles to suit their lifestyles requiring heavier vehicles to tow, explore and transport tools etc.
That will fix everything, just what we need some idiot proposing yet another tax on us, obviously a government employee with a vehicle who doesn’t pay a cent towards the vehicle running costs.
So I live in a rural area travelling ordinary highways with kangaroos and other wildlife. Hit one in a sedan and I’m stuck on the side of the road in a remote area. Another great city slicker idea
Correct
This doctor is insane they are far safer than the little buz boxes & we already pay a huge amount for them.
I agree with the Doctor, these oversized utes,especially the Ram are far too big and intimidating, let them stay at home on the farm where they belong.
Tax them much more we don’t need them here in Oz .
This guy sounds like a genius getting people into smaller cars will not be safer they will be more vulnerable to other larger cars.
The sort of thing you would expect from a professor???
Victoria is broke, so they will be grabbing revenue from wherever they can
What a load of twat waffle. Dangerous driving is not determined by vehicle type. How about taking motorbikes off the road, the rate of motorbike fatalities have gone through the roof. I am not serious, but based upon the argument presented, that os wjhat should happen.
I bet this clown has not got any firm statistics to back up his opinion.
Just another wanker doctor thinks he knows better than anybody else
I own a modest 2018 Mazda BT50 4×4 Ute, so my vehicle falls into the good doctor’s sights.
I would ask the good doctor to back up her suggestion with genuine statistics that prove utes and large SUV’s are responsible for the majority of vehicles involved in the increased road toll.
My Ute has ABS, airbags and a vigilant driver behind the wheel who doesn’t use mobile phones or other distracting devices when driving. My Ute is not modified and is considered to be roadworthy, which is more than I can say for some vehicles using the roads that are also involved in accidents.
What’s next? I know, let’s put a tax on caravan owners because they are using the road too, and can also be involved in accidents……. What a load of academic rubbish.