Tom Saffioti’s legacy inspires focus on tough new driving rules in bid to save young lives

Young drivers face tougher new rules — including more supervised hours and a longer probation period — under new proposals from the State Government. With WA in another long weekend double demerit period — and against the backdrop of a horror year so far of road fatalities — the Government will on Sunday begin a six-week consultation period on new proposals aimed at saving young lives. Among the proposals being considered is limiting phone use for all learner and provisional drivers to in-car systems. Learner drivers would need to do 75 hours of supervised training, up from the current 50, and they would be on their P-plates for three years, not two. Adults would also need to play a more responsible role when supervising young drivers, and be completely alcohol-free while in the passenger seat. Currently they can be under the .05 legal limit. The move comes as the Government on Sunday also launches a new advertising campaign featuring the mother and best friend of 15-year-old Tom Saffioti, who was tragically killed in 2021 when the car in which he was a passenger slammed into a tree. The campaign, which is branded as ‘Tom’s Story’, asked young drivers to “drive like your mate’s life depend on it, because it does”. “The campaign is deeply personal to me,” Tom’s mother, Samantha Saffioti, told The Sunday Times. “It’s about sharing Tom’s story so that his life and his loss can help protect others. “I hope it makes young people stop and think about the choices they make when they’re in a car, whether it’s who they get in with, how many people they take, or how safely they drive. “If Tom’s story can spark even one young person to make a safer choice, then that’s a powerful legacy.” In October last year, the Cook Government unveiled Tom’s Law — named in honour of Samantha’s son — making major changes to young-driver rules. They included P-platers being banned from carrying more than one passenger for the first six months. Now the Government wants to go further — proposing more restrictions, including mobile phone restrictions for learners and P-Platers while driving. In WA all drivers, including learners and provisional licence holders, are allowed to use a phone ‘hands-free’. This means that, provided the phone is secured in a mounting attached to the vehicle, the driver can make or receive a voice call while driving or use a mobile phone for GPS or listening to audio. It is illegal for a driver to touch or hold their phone for any other purpose — including texting. Under proposed changes, learners and all provisional drivers would be prohibited from making or answering phone calls hands-free, even if the device is mounted. Receiving or making calls would need to be done via an in-car system. Novice drivers would be allowed to use their phone for navigation and playing audio, provided it is set up before the journey and secured in a mount. In other proposed changes, the provisional driver period would be extended from two years, to three, and the number of supervised driving hours or log book hours would be increased from 50 hours to 75 hours. And any adult supervising a learner driver would, under proposed changes, need to be completely alcohol free — instead of the current .05 blood alcohol content restriction for supervisor drivers, including professional driving instructions. The ACT is currently the only jurisdiction that requires supervisor drivers to have zero blood-alcohol content when supervising a learner driver. In 2024, 133 people lost their lives on WA roads. So far this year, 138 have died. Police are warning anyone travelling this weekend that officers will be in force amid the deadliest road toll in almost two decades. Road Safety Minister Reece Whitby on Saturday said “a best-practice graduated licensing system in WA will ensure young drivers hit the road prepared, confident and, above all, safe”. “I encourage everyone to have your say, whether you’re learning, just licensed, guiding the next generation, or working in road safety. We’re all part of this journey,” he said. “We have a shared responsibility to have our say on how young drivers can be better prepared to be safe on our roads and this community consultation is everyone’s opportunity to share their insights. “Campaigns like ‘Tom’s Story’ serve as an important reminder of the risks to young drivers and their passengers and the bravery of Samantha Saffioti, Tom’s mum, and Ben, Tom’s best mate, to show the raw emotion of losing someone in a road crash is commendable.” Assistant Transport Minister Jessica Stojkovski said the changes represented “an important opportunity for West Australians to shape how we prepare young drivers to be safe and confident on the road”. “Right after the Road Safety Roundtable in September 2024, work began to research and inform the review as we wanted to make sure what we did was comprehensive and collaborative,” Ms Stojkovski said. Samantha Saffioti remains devastated by her son’s death. She said Tom “would be proud” of efforts to save young lives. “Nothing will ever ease the pain of losing Tom, but knowing his story has driven such an important change to save lives gives me strength and a way to keep his light and the light of other young lives lost on our roads shining,” she said. “He was a leader, a true friend and someone his mates looked up to and every chance he got, he was always helping others. “I believe he’d see this work as an extension of who he was, protecting his mates, looking out for people and making a difference. “Carrying his name through this campaign isn’t easy because I miss him so much and it’s a constant reminder that he’s not here with me and all the people that love him. But it does feel right, because it’s exactly the kind of impact Tom would have wanted to make.” The community, along with the learner driver industry and road safety stakeholders, are invited to participate in the online consultation using the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure’s My Say Transport platform until November 9.