I was reading this article in the paper this morning - "P-plate passenger limit rejected" - and I absolutely agree with the Victorian Government on this stance. NSW and QLD both introduced a raft of new laws, among which ban under 25s from carrying more than one passenger under 21 between the hours of 11pm and 5am. Clearly anyone who thinks long-term passenger limits are good have never actually considered the issue and its implications, are hellbent on war against P-platers or have an unfortunate (e.g. have lost someone close) emotional bias. WACD of course, has an opinion on this, as do other groups including the PCA and RACV which was mentioned on the radio this morning. But these groups are all useless in tackling the problem. Why? Because they're all past their partying ages (which were nothing compared to under 25s' now), think they know best and refuse to even attempt to understand their target.
Let's make one assumption - under 25s love the socialise, party, and have fun. I don't think anyone can argue with that.
We generally first get the taste for parties in primary school, when we all invite our friends to our birthday parties at Maccas. As we get older, we begin to gain more freedom, allowing us to catch up with friends outside of school for no particular occasion at the movies, shopping centres, other's houses etc. Our friendship circle rapidly expands as we move into secondary school, and begin to experiment with our increasing freedoms.
So up until we're 18, we've mostly been driven around by our parents. 18 is significant because not only do we gain our P-plates, but we also complete year 12. Year 12 is a milestone not only in our eyes, but also in our parents'. After year 12, we're expected to have jobs, take care of ourselves, be independent. And part of that includes getting ourselves around, which is why most of us make getting our P-plates and cars such a priority. Because the alternative is to cut down our social lives, and there's no way we'll do that.
Turning 18 also means entry into bars, pubs and clubs, which are all generally located in the CBD, Chapel St or some other inner-city area because everyone is so afraid of having a nightclub district near their house so instead of them coming to us, we have to go to them. And while Melbourne is rapidly expanding outwards, bars, pubs and clubs are being forced closer and closer to the city.
And if it's not bars, pubs and clubs, it's private parties and gatherings. These are likely to be located all over the metropolitan area, as today's teenagers network like never before.
The problem at the root of the current situation though is alcohol, and to a lesser extent, drugs, and this will increase as we increasing turn on smoking, so as rebels we have to find some other on-the-edge drug to use. The drink and drug driving message has been hammered into our heads for ages and I can confidently tell you the majority of us get it, which is definitely a good thing. So to avoid drink-driving, we compromise, hence the designated driver idea, which generally works.
The issue is, when you have a car full of inebriated people, it is difficult to concentrate and so some drivers crash, sometimes fatally. And of course, the 'older, more knowledgeable' types just take the easy way out and suggest a complete ban on passengers at night time for P-platers.
It may work elsewhere, but it won't work here. In fact the issue will remain and it'll cause tons more issues.
Why?
Let's consider the alternatives, of which there are only two. The big one is public transport, and it sucks. The majority of public transport stops on or soon after 12am. Nightriders extend that and operate through the night on selected routes. But none of that matters because public transport is not the answer. We do not all live in a tightly-packed, apartment-filled city. We live in a 'large houses with backyards complete with numerous parks and free space' city. It would be impossible for the vast majority of us to get home using public transport even if it ran every 5 minutes, on time 24/7 because they will never stop outside or near enough our homes. For some they may only have a 15 minute walk, others could face walks of an hour and upwards, made more difficult when you're off your nut, don't know you're left from your right, and every front lawn looks like a nice place to sleep.
The other one are taxis. And while they get us right to our homes, they're bloody expensive (60 bucks to get me home from the city) and there aren't enough, both again, due to the fact that metro Melbourne is massive. It's a bit easier if you live close to others, but you don't always go out with them. No average under 25 living a fair distance from the city would have the income to afford taxis every time they go out. And there's nothing the government can do to lower the costs - taxis are expensive by nature.
If you think we can just call up our parents, you've got to be kidding. Most would probably say 'bugger off'.
So without an alternative, you get under 25s stuck in the city or wherever they may be. And what do bored, maybe drunk, under 25s do? Get into trouble. Be prepared for brawls, loud rackets, beer bottles and urine everywhere, and half-naked people sleeping outside buildings, or on your front lawn. Judging from recent events, I would be surprised if there's an increase in fatalities as a result. Worse, you get people flouting the law because they have no option, reversing all the good done by the drink and drug driving ads. Believe me, the 'drink-driving is bad' has only just gotten a grasp on an under 25's mind, and they can easily throw it away if push comes to shove, and I'm telling you, they won't give up alcohol that easily. If the laws are unreasonable to us, they will not be respected, and no matter what the police presence is like, unrespected laws are useless.
The proper solution is education and experience. Teach them the importance of concentrating when driving. Let them turn their music up as loud as they want, even if your ears bleed. Talk to them while they're driving. Get their passengers to talk. Talk on your mobile phone. Stop insulating them from reality. Play vocal memory games with them to force them to learn to concentrate on two things at once. Then when they're ready and get their P-plates, impose a short 6-month night-time passenger limit on them, so they can get the thrill of driving on their own out of their system. (on second thoughts, that will have very little effect, and be very hard to police.) Put them through a course to let them see first hand the effects of drink-driving, drug-driving, and hooning. Ban high-powered cars until they're 21. Increase police patrols and impound cars for 48 hours for first offence, then impound cars for 1 week, then seize the car for the third offence, even if the driver doesn't own the car, as is the law in Victoria (the details may be slightly off).
But that's only one part of the solution. This is not a problem solely caused by us. Humans were born to socialise, and our parents have strongly encouraged it. Alcohol is also a part of life - accept it. Society needs to accept that, realise that not all under 25s are drink-driving, fast-car loving idiotic maniacs, and acknowledge that they are part of the problem as well and only when they do that, consult us, and be open to radical new ideas will we actually see some changes in the right direction.
We as under 25s also need to realise that we have a voice, but in order to be respected, we have to be well articulated, well argued and backed by facts. By this, I mean everything not represented by this petition against the restrictions.
This is a problem of massive proportions. There is no simple fix. Society needs to put all prejudices aside, and work together as a whole. Because if that does not happen, all we'll get are band-aid solutions that piss people off, make them rebel, open up a box of new problems, alongside the existing problem.