Latest news with #AdrianWarner
ABC News
07-06-2025
- ABC News
Road safety boss urges statewide e-scooter standards, not bans, after fatality
Commissioner Adrian Warner says technology that makes e-scooters safer could be rolled out, along with a new regulated category for more powerful devices.
ABC News
07-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Minimum standards for hireable e-scooters should be considered: Road safety commissioner
Western Australia should consider setting minimum standards for hireable e-scooters, and regulating — rather than outlawing — bigger, faster devices, says the state's road safety commissioner. The issue of regulating the e-rideables has been thrust into the spotlight after 51-year-old Thanh Phan was killed at the weekend after being struck by a hired e-scooter in the Perth CBD. A 25-year-old UK tourist Alicia Kemp has been charged with causing death while driving dangerously under the influence of alcohol. The City of Perth yesterday indefinitely suspended the hiring of e-scooters, a move welcomed by one of the state's top trauma surgeons. Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner welcomed the move too, but told the ABC he believed other local governments should look at their own data before following suit. He believes e-scooters could operate safely in the CBD with some additional technology. "Modern devices are often equipped with cameras in-built into the device which can detect whether you've got a helmet on your head, can detect if you've got two people on the device, for example," he said. Mr Warner suggested the City of Perth would be looking for those features as part of its tender for e-scooter providers, which closes later this month, after an initial two-year trial period ended earlier this year. The commissioner said he would be talking to local governments about whether the state government should set minimum standards, such as those features, for hireable e-scooters. "It may well be that creating a safer category of device that's raising the threshold helps local governments in terms of their tendering and their business licensing and gives good signals to the industry that you have to keep improving your safety standards," he said. But Mr Warner, who said he rides e-scooters himself sometimes, said a fundamental risk remained, because there was no way of an e-scooter changing its speed limit depending on whether it was on the road or a footpath. Nonetheless, he indicated he was supportive of regulating e-rideables in a way which kept people riding them, because he saw significant benefits in getting people out of cars. A review of WA's e-scooter rules released last month found a "concerning" lack of compliance and made a number of recommendations — including reviewing the penalties for e-rideable offences. It also suggested a closer look at whether larger, faster and heavier electric vehicles warranted their own category of regulation, rather than just being illegal because current rules treat all e-rideables similar to bicycles. "There is a group of people who want to ride further and faster on bigger, heavier, more powerful devices," Mr Warner said. "At what point do we look at these devices and say, look, they're not really so much like a bicycle as that we should treat them more like a motorcycle or a moped? "What kind of driver licensing requirements will apply? "They certainly need to address issues around registration and insurance, because that's another issue. "People who are impacted by a crash at the moment, particularly if there's an unlawful behaviour, really have no recourse in terms of compensation except to take someone to court, now, that's out of the realm of possibilities for most people." While Mr Warner said much of that depended on the Commonwealth looking at its import rules and vehicle safety standards, he believed there was appetite for the change. He said "most jurisdictions" he'd spoken to agreed with that position, and that it would be discussed at a road safety meeting in Melbourne in coming weeks. Police and Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby indicated on Friday he was not a fan of those e-rideables being available in Australia, especially given they are currently illegal. 'When I go see my fellow police ministers around the country, I'll be raising this issue … we need to ban the importation of very high-speed e-rideables,' he said. Since e-rideables became regulated in late-2021, the Road Safety Commission said there had been nine fatalities involving the devices – five in WA in the past year-and-a-half, with two in the past two weeks. Mr Warner acknowledged that trend was 'not good' and that compliance with the rules was an issue. In response, he called for a 'balanced' approach between education and enforcement. "I'm always surprised, with the amount of advertising we do, when we're doing targeted advertising, particularly on social media," he said. "But people aren't understanding the rules. "We've got to get that balance right, we need to keep doing a bit of enforcement, keep doing education, keep engaging with the community. "And importantly, get that golden rule out, that is, if you're on a bike, if you're on a scooter, your job, the golden rule, is to not hit a pedestrian." WA police said they would be "out in force" in Perth and Northbridge on Friday night, speaking to every e-scooter rider to either thank them for following the rules, or educating or fining those breaking them. The road safety commissioner said police were doing an "appropriate" job of enforcement, while balancing their other priorities. "Their enforcement activity has resulted in a shift in terms of the numbers of illegal devices that are being used so openly," he said.
West Australian
29-05-2025
- Climate
- West Australian
WA and Perth weather: Safety warning issued to commuters ahead of wet WA Day long weekend forecast
Motorists are being urged to drive to conditions this WA Day long weekend, with showers and thunderstorms on the horizon for the Perth metro and southwest regions. As the wet weather rolls in, Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner pleaded with commuters to drive with caution. 'The biggest concern for the Road Safety Commission this long weekend is everyone's rush to start their winter break,' he said. 'That haste and eagerness to get to where they're going as fast as they can, mixed with more cars on the road and bad weather is a deadly combination.' In 2024, almost half of all traffic fatalities happened on roads with speed limits of 100km/h or higher, with most of these tragedies occurring in regional areas. 'Speed limits are the maximum safe speed under perfect road conditions; clear roads, no hazards and good weather – but when the conditions aren't favourable, busy roads, road works and bad weather, you need to slow down,' Mr Warner said. 'The speed limit is just that, a limit, not a target. Be courteous to one another on the road, slow and steady is the safe and sensible way to go.' Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast to kick off in the Perth and southwest regions from Thursday afternoon, with heavy falls also possible along the west coast. On Friday, up to 20mm of rain is expected for Perth, while Mandurah could see up to 25mm. The wet weather is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week. Particular caution is advised on Monday as holidaymakers return home, with widespread rainfall totals of 20-40mm expected and possible thunderstorms throughout the southwest. Double demerits will be in place from 12.01am on Friday to 11.59pm on Monday June 2. Commander Mike Peters of the Road Policing Command reminded motorists that officers could be anywhere and at anytime over the long weekend. 'WA Police will take an increased enforcement approach during the upcoming long weekend, targeting 'The Fatal Five', which continues to be over represented in fatal and serious crashes,' he said. 'This includes an increase in the number of high visibility patrols particularly within a 400-kilometre radius from Perth. 'Our officers do not want to knock on your door during this long weekend to deliver devastating and life changing news about the loss of a loved one on our roads. 'The message is simple, don't speed. Every police vehicle across the state will be undertaking some sort of road enforcement and our safety camera fleet will also be out in force.' FRIDAY: 23C, showers and likely storms SATURDAY: 22C, showers and chance of storms SUNDAY: 22C, showers MONDAY: 22C, showers and chance of storms TUESDAY: 20C, showers and chance of storms WEDNESDAY: 20C, showers and chance of storms
Perth Now
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Perth Now
Warning to motorists ahead of thunderstorms hitting Perth
Motorists are being urged to drive to conditions this WA Day long weekend, with showers and thunderstorms on the horizon for the Perth metro and southwest regions. As the wet weather rolls in, Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner pleaded with commuters to drive with caution. 'The biggest concern for the Road Safety Commission this long weekend is everyone's rush to start their winter break,' he said. 'That haste and eagerness to get to where they're going as fast as they can, mixed with more cars on the road and bad weather is a deadly combination.' In 2024, almost half of all traffic fatalities happened on roads with speed limits of 100km/h or higher, with most of these tragedies occurring in regional areas. 'Speed limits are the maximum safe speed under perfect road conditions; clear roads, no hazards and good weather – but when the conditions aren't favourable, busy roads, road works and bad weather, you need to slow down,' Mr Warner said. 'The speed limit is just that, a limit, not a target. Be courteous to one another on the road, slow and steady is the safe and sensible way to go.' Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast to kick off in the Perth and southwest regions from Thursday afternoon, with heavy falls also possible along the west coast. On Friday, up to 20mm of rain is expected for Perth, while Mandurah could see up to 25mm. The wet weather is expected to continue through the weekend and into next week. Particular caution is advised on Monday as holidaymakers return home, with widespread rainfall totals of 20-40mm expected and possible thunderstorms throughout the southwest. Double demerits will be in place from 12.01am on Friday to 11.59pm on Monday June 2. Commander Mike Peters of the Road Policing Command reminded motorists that officers could be anywhere and at anytime over the long weekend. 'WA Police will take an increased enforcement approach during the upcoming long weekend, targeting 'The Fatal Five', which continues to be over represented in fatal and serious crashes,' he said. 'This includes an increase in the number of high visibility patrols particularly within a 400-kilometre radius from Perth. 'Our officers do not want to knock on your door during this long weekend to deliver devastating and life changing news about the loss of a loved one on our roads. 'The message is simple, don't speed. Every police vehicle across the state will be undertaking some sort of road enforcement and our safety camera fleet will also be out in force.' FRIDAY: 23C, showers and likely storms SATURDAY: 22C, showers and chance of storms SUNDAY: 22C, showers MONDAY: 22C, showers and chance of storms TUESDAY: 20C, showers and chance of storms WEDNESDAY: 20C, showers and chance of storms
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Warning as 60,000 drivers caught out in 'truly disturbing' trend
60,000 drivers have been called out for putting lives at risk after new cameras caught a string of offences on Aussie roads. Photos show drivers in a range of compromising situations, including one man who was driving while holding a baby and another holding a laptop in his hands. It comes after mobile phone and seatbelt detection cameras were switched on across Perth roads on Australia Day earlier this year. Of those captured in the images, 20,000 were not wearing seatbelts correctly, 22,000 were holding phones in their hands and almost 6,000 had no seatbelt on at all. An additional 12,000 had their phones in their laps – which is also a finable offence. The shocking scenes have prompted WA's Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner to plead with drivers to be safer on the roads. 'Quite frankly, what we're seeing has been truly disturbing and upsetting – children and babies unrestrained in front seat, people bypassing seatbelt alarms by jerry rigging the driver's buckle, use of laptops while driving at high speeds," Warner said. Drivers are being called on to 'take ownership' of road safety when they get behind the wheel. 'If you think this message doesn't apply to you, please think again, the power to reduce the road toll lies in all our hands," Warner said. "The fear of getting caught shouldn't be your key reason to drive safe – Keep yourself, your family and other road users safe,' he said. Drivers caught out will receive a caution notice informing them about the capabilities of the new technology and "give them an opportunity to change their dangerous driving behaviour" before enforcement comes into effect. There is no set date for when the enforcement period will begin but fines for mobile phone use are as high as $1,000 and a loss of four demerit points in the state. Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia (RAC) general manager Will Golsby previously told Yahoo News the cameras were a welcome move. "WA is consistently one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to road safety, and last year was one of the worst for road deaths in a decade," he told Yahoo News. "RAC supports the use of road safety cameras to deter dangerous behaviour on WA roads, including the use of mobile phones while driving." 📸 Millions of Aussie drivers warned as roadside cameras with $1,000 fines switch on 🚗 Warning to Aussies after driver landed with $1,200 'shock' bill 🐤 Rare sighting made on 'iconic' Aussie roundabout The warning comes as double demerits come into effect across the country. New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory will have double demerits in place between April 17 and 21 then April 24 to 27 this year. Meanwhile Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania are free from double demerits with normal penalties, plus extra police patrols, in place. in Queensland, double demerits are in place all year round, but police operations will ramp up over the Easter weekend. Last year, five people lost their lives on WA roads over the Easter long weekend. 'The Road Safety Commission, together with WA Police and the Road Safety Minister are committed to targeting poor driver behaviour through behavioural change campaigns and new initiatives like the fixed and mobile safety cameras – but we need the community to wake-up and realise they are part of the solution," Warner added. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
