Latest news with #OllieAzriel
Herald Sun
23-05-2025
- Herald Sun
Teens warned against 'entitled' driving trend that could end in jail time
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News. Victoria Police has issued a new warning to teens who have found a loophole enabling them to get their driver's licence a year earlier than normal. Whilst the minimum age to drive solo everywhere else in Australia is 17, in Victoria it's 18, leading some to find a creative way to get on the road early - though it could earn them jail time, and a few thousand dollars in fines. Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. RELATED: Aussie parents concerned over new playground location 'Of course they have the support of their parents' According to Victoria Police, teens in the state are being warned that trying to get your licence early in an unethical and illegal way could end them in some serious hot water. The strategy is that teens with a holiday house or relatives living elsewhere in the country are using that address as their primary address, allowing them to sit their driving test elsewhere and earn their Ps at age 17. And, driving instructor Ollie Azriel added that parents are just as much to blame by letting it happen. "They just tell me, look I'm going to get my licence interstate ... what can I say?" he told 9News. "Of course they have the support of their parents because they're still 17 and just want to get their licence." RELATED: Aussie mum's iconic response to parking fail 'It goes to the sense of entitlement that we see play out' Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said that the idea was riddled with entitlement. "It goes to the sense of entitlement that we see play out," he said. "Just because you've got a holiday house in Noosa doesn't mean you can skip the rules." It has also brought up fears that the death toll on Victorian roads would soar, given the increase in immature and inexperienced drivers. "The more mature you are the better you are able to handle experiences on the road," TAC Head of Road Safety Samantha Cockfield said. What's the damage? Victoria Police say at this stage, they don't have substantial evidence of this kind of behaviour. However, they noted to those thinking of doing it that it is a criminal offence to obtain a licence fraudulently, including by providing misleading information. Obtaining a driver's licence by fraudulent means in Victoria can lead to either a hefty fine, or jail time. For those hoping that the rule is going to change, it seems you're out of luck, as Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said the government has no plans to make changes to the driving age. Originally published as Teens warned against 'entitled' driving trend that could end in jail time
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Warning over driver's licence loophole as police 'overwhelmed' by dashcam dobbing
Teenagers are exploiting a legal loophole by travelling interstate to obtain their driver's licence, a move police warn could lead to jail time, as authorities reveal they're being flooded with dashcam footage capturing dangerous driving. Provisional drivers are among the most crash-prone motorists on Australian roads, something the Victorian government says is a major factor in the decision not to allow young people to obtain a P-plate until they're 18 — the highest age in the country for new drivers. But it's now emerged that the state's youth are sneaking interstate, to places like New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland, where the minimum age is 17, to bypass regulations and obtain a licence early. Anecdotal evidence indicates teenagers are using addresses of holiday homes or extended family members in other states to secure their permits. Victoria Police said it hasn't seen direct evidence of the behaviour despite reports in the Herald Sun about private school students bragging about doing so and parents expressing concerns. It's prompted police to warn that fraudulently obtaining a licence, including by providing misleading information, can be a criminal offence. "It goes to the sense of entitlement that we see play out," Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir told media this week. "Just because you've got a holiday house in Noosa doesn't mean you can skip the rules." It is believed no charges have yet been laid against under-age drivers obtaining their licences interstate. Under Victorian road rules, failing to transfer an interstate licence within six months of becoming a resident is considered unlicensed driving. Offenders can face fines of up to $11,855 and even prison time if prosecuted. A driving instructor of 25 years said he'd heard about numerous instances of teens cheating the system. "They just tell me, look, I'm going to get my licence interstate ... what can I say?" Ollie Azriel told 9News. "They have the support of their parents because they're still 17 and just want to get their licence." While the Nationals have pushed for the state to lower the probationary driving age in Victoria, a 2016 inquiry found doing so could lead to significantly more road deaths and injuries, a worsening problem in Australia as it stands. Every Aussie driver targeted in push to combat $30 billion crisis Older drivers 'exposed' on Aussie roads after major shift Aussie drivers accused of 'selfish' road act amid widespread trend Concerningly, 2024 was crowned the deadliest year on Australian roads in more than a decade, prompting safety experts to urge governments to take stronger action and to call on the public to rethink their attitudes towards road safety. In Victoria the road toll for the year through to May 21, 2025 stood at 118, up 8.3 per cent from the same period last year. Six of the 118 lives lost were people aged between 18 and 20. The financial toll of road trauma has surged to $30 billion annually — a figure expected to continue rising. While authorities in Victoria warn young drivers that licences obtained fraudulently may be cancelled, Crime Stoppers has also revealed a huge surge in dashcam footage being handed in, showing shocking accounts of dangerous driving. One in three reports received by Victoria Crime Stoppers relates to "high-risk" road use, CEO Stella Smith said on Wednesday. She warned that 30 per cent of fatal collisions are caused by speed, with young people remaining overrepresented in road trauma. In Victoria, the minimum age to obtain a learner permit (Ls) is 16 years, while the minimum age to obtain a probationary licence (P1) is 18 years. Peter Frazer OAM, whose daughter was killed by a distracted driver on the Hume Freeway in NSW, told Yahoo News Australia last week a cultural shift on the roads is more critical than ever. He said Australia urgently needs to rethink not only driver behaviour, but also its approach to enforcement, speeding and accountability. "The very first thing that we need to do is to flip everything on its head and start dealing with the reality of risk on our roads," he said. "We've got to have our governments start doing much more active enforcement — police enforcement and also automated enforcement." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
