The six month "grace" period which allows overseas drivers including migrants and those on long term visas to drive here on a foreign licence will face tougher scrutiny under new draft road safety proposals.
Austroads, the agency which develops policy advice and identifies emerging issues and challenges for Australia's transport agencies, is in the final stages of a major review aimed at overhauling policies relating to overseas drivers.
Drivers from certain countries can convert immediately to Australian licences, in some cases without any additional testing requirements. Australia is also party to international conventions which allow visitors to drive on their overseas licences for a certain period of time. These policies have been unchanged for over 20 years.
"In recent years, changed patterns of travel and migration to Australia have suggested the need for the scheme to be updated," the Austroads review document stated.
The big issue recognised by Austroads is that many countries do not have licence testing standards compatible with those of Australia, "which presents a safety risk to all road users in Australia".
One of the key objectives from the review was to "ensure overseas drivers driving in Australia are appropriately regulated to maintain positive road safety outcomes".
The recommendations include a framework for producing appropriate educational material for overseas drivers, conduct more crash risk research and data on this cohort of drivers, and to reassess the criteria for licensed drivers from "recognised countries".
Contemporary research on the safety of international visitors on Australian roads is thin, and these important data gaps were identified by Austroads in its assessment.
Exploratory work by the Federal Office of Road Safety has found that international visitors experience an appreciably higher risk of being killed on an Australian road than local road users.
An assessment back in 2004 by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety found that there were some big differences in some behaviours such as seat belt usage, with 52 per cent of international drivers killed were not restrained at the time of the crash.
A national agreement currently exists which separates overseas licence holders into three categories: those from approved, "recognised" countries and jurisdictions, those from experienced driver-recognised countries and jurisdictions, and those from non-approved countries and jurisdictions.
Those from "approved" countries includes most of western Europe and Scandinavia, Japan, USA, New Zealand, and Singapore.
The 16 approved countries requiring driver experience (drivers must be aged over 25 years) include Latvia, South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.
In the ACT, drivers who hold licences from these countries can change over immediately with no test required, provided they meet the age stipulation (over 25).
Those from all other countries, including licensed drivers from Australia's two largest migrant intake countries - China and India - fall outside those approved under the national agreement which means they must complete a road rules knowledge test, the pre-learner licence course and a one-off practical driving assessment.
To drive in the ACT for up to six months, overseas licence holders must carry an international permit, proof of identity and their foreign licence "written in English", according to Access Canberra stipulations published online.
