New Road Safety Rules

New Road Safety Rules have recently been introduced as part of the Victorian government's strategy to make our roads safer and help Victoria meet its arrive alive road safety target. From November 2009, using a mobile phone while driving is prohibited, except to make a phone call or to use its audio/music functions provided the phone is:

• Secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle; or
• Can be operated by the driver without touching any part of the phone.

Drivers may still use earpieces that are connected to the phone via a chord but whilst you are using such a device, you must ensure that you do not hold the phone in your hand, press any buttons on the phone itself, or touch any part of the body of the phone. Using Global Positioning System (GPS) while driving is also prohibited unless it is secured in a commercially designed holder fixed to the vehicle. Using a mobile phone or visual display unit as you drive is considered distracting and may create a dangerous if not fatal situation. With these new rules, the government aims to reduce the road toll by 30 percent by 2017. Learner driver and P1 drivers are prohibited from using mobile phones at all while driving.