Push for foreign tourists to pass driving test before being allowed to hire cars
Foreign tourists could be required to prove their driving skills before being allowed to hire a car under a new push to reduce the death toll on Australian roads.
Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson is calling for tougher rules to be imposed for drivers with international licences, including compulsory safety videos for all international tourists hiring cars, and asking car hire companies to impose stricter standards before renting out vehicles.
Ms Henderson's electorate is Corangamite in Victoria, which includes popular tourist driving stretch The Great Ocean Road.
According to VicRoads, 21 per cent of crashes along the Great Ocean Road from July 2012 to June 2017 were caused by international drivers.
Current regulations stipulate that tourists can drive using their overseas drivers licence as long as it is in English, according to VicRoads.
If it is not, they need an English translation or an international driving permit.
More than 1000 people died on Australian roads in 2017.
