West Australian P-platers will be restricted to having just one passenger in their cars under a new road safety rule, to be known as Tom’s Law.
The rule, announced today by Premier Roger Cook, will apply to new drivers for the first six months they hold their licence.
Samantha Saffioti, pictured with her son Tom, is calling for P-platers to have passenger restrictions at night.
“From December 1, all existing and future red P-plate drivers will be allowed to carry only one passenger in the vehicle at all times,” he said.
“Statistics and recent tragedies on our roads show that novice drivers are at high risk of crashes and being distracted.
“This new change is a practical, sensible and enforceable step that strikes the right balance to protect our young drivers, their families and their friends.”
It follows a spate of young people dying on WA roads, with the rule’s namesake, Tom Saffioti, 15, one of two teenage boys who died in a Seville Grove car crash in 2021 when the vehicle, being driven by a P-plater, crashed into a tree. The car was full of passengers at the time.
Three young men also died earlier this month when the car they were passengers in crashed into a tree in Carlisle. The driver, 18, was allegedly drunk and speeding at the time with a car full of friends.
And promising young footballer, Nick Campo, 18, died in July when the car he was a passenger in, being driven by a P-plater and once again full of passengers, rolled and hit another car.
Under Tom’s Law, red P-plate drivers will be restricted to having one passenger, unless the other passengers are immediate family members, or the driving is work-related.
