South Australia To Have A Special Licence For Ultra High Powered Vehicles
South Australia To Have A Special Licence For Ultra High Powered Vehicles In 2024
South Australian drivers will be required to take a special driving course before they can drive ultra-high performance vehicles. They will also not be allowed to turn off any driver aids, such as the traction control or electronic stability control system.
South Australia is the first state to introduce a driver’s licence for “ultra-high-powered vehicles”. The license will be in effect from December 1, 2024.
Authorities define an ultra-high-powered vehicle as one with a power to weight ratio of 276kW/tonne (1000kg) and a gross vehicle weight of less than 4 tonnes. Around 200 models are believed to fit into this category. Buses and motorbikes are exempt.
A Lamborghini Huracan, for example, has a power to weight ratio of 292kW/tonne. Meanwhile, the BMW M3 is rated at 222kW/tonne.
After speculation in social media, the South Australian government has now confirmed the date of implementation for the new ‘U-class’ licence category.
Anyone wishing to get a U-class licence must complete an online course.
The South Australian Department of Transportation has told Drive that the course will be developed soon and ensure that drivers are aware of the dangers of driving an UHPV, and how to use the common features of vehicles within Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
South Australian motorists can be fined $5000 for deliberately disabling an “automated intervention” system on a high-powered vehicle. This includes the anti-lock brake (ABS), automated safety braking (AEB), stability control electronic (ESC), or traction control.
The spokesperson stated that “once the training is made available, existing UHPV owners and drivers will be required to complete the training in order to receive a U classification licence if they want to continue to drive a UHPV beyond 1 December 2024.”
The changes were made in response to the death of 15-year old South Australian Sophia Naismith who was killed in 2019 by a Lamborghini Huracan.
South Australian government has introduced new penalties and definitions for drivers that have caused death. The maximum penalty for driving with due care is now seven years, up from the previous 12 month period.
In a media statement issued in July, Kyam Maher said that the tragic death of Sophia Naismith highlighted serious problems within our laws when driving conduct results in death or serious injury.
He said that one of the problems was the absence of a driving offence that would punish driving that did not meet the threshold for ‘dangerous driving’ but still warranted harsher penalties than the ones available at lower levels of offending.
The reforms will also ensure that people who drive ultra-high-powered vehicles are more responsible for their actions, while ensuring that the authorities have the ability to prosecute those individuals who flout road laws and risk others’ lives.
If these changes will lower the road toll or affect the amount of high powered crashes are to be seen. If this course will change the way people drive these cars may not be that affective, we think a course where you learn how to drive them could be more effective. What do you think?
