VicRoads launches P-plater vehicle website

The Victorian state road and traffic authority is clamping down on P-plate drivers who flaunt the law by setting up a website that lists all vehicles banned for use by probationary drivers

In an effort to reduce the increasing road toll among young people, VicRoads has launched a new website that details which vehicles can and cannot be driven by P-plate drivers. If a P-plate driver is caught driving a banned vehicle, such as a turbocharged or V8-powered car, they will face a $239 fine and be hit with three demerit points.

The new initiative is designed to "combat the high road toll among P-plate drivers" according to VicRoads, but some of the safest, newest cars on the road have been banned while many older, less safe vehicles are deemed acceptable.

Vehicles such as the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland and Volkswagen Golf GTI are banned under the new guidelines, while the high performance 2011 Ford Falcon XR6 ute and 2010 Golf R32 are listed as approved, the latter both high performance six-cylinder vehicles.

When a search for all banned vehicles is undertaken, more than 11,000 vehicles are listed on the new VicRoads database, while more than 50,000 cars are approved. The extensive database behind the new online resource is powered by Redbook.com.au, which is part of the Carsales.com Ltd family.

The Victorian Minister for Roads, Terry Mulder, applauded the new list of P-plate vehicles, stating that the searchable list would make it easy not only for probationary drivers, but also their parents and even people selling cars to determine whether they are P-plate suitable in Victoria. "Young drivers are over-represented in the Victorian road toll, making up 28 per cent of all driver fatalities. A proportion of this can be attributed towards inexperienced drivers handling
high performance vehicles," Mulder stated.

VicRoads' new guidelines stipulate that any car that is turbocharged, supercharged, has eight cylinders and even "some high performance six-cylinder vehicles" are banned from the approves P-plate list.

"The new website enables drivers to instantly check whether the car is banned or not. It will be a helpful resource for P-platers when buying their first car. It will also help P-platers check whether a car they plan on borrowing is okay for them to drive," added Mulder.

The list of vehicles on the VicRoads website is extensive, with some makes and models dating back to the 1960s, and all will be categorised as one of the following:

    Approved
    Banned
    Application Required
    Under Review

Vehicles under review will apply to recently released models that have not been assessed and the guidelines remain murky in this respect. If a vehicle is under review, it is unclear whether P-platers will be fined.

There are exemptions for P-plate drivers in certain situations, and these drivers need to apply to VicRoads if they want to drive a vehicle on the banned list, for reasons such as employment or family circumstances. If an exemption is granted, VicRoads explains it will be "conditional for the specific vehicle and will include restrictions on how and when that vehicle may be used."

Check out the new P-plater vehicle database at VicRoads.vic.gov.au/pplatecars.

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