|
Zipper's Driving School - News Views & Trivia
NEWS & VIEWS archives page 4 |
|
|
| ||
| DTAL PROGRAM to be REPLACED! | DTAL / DRIVESAFE NT TRANSFERRING to DPI | NEW ANTI-HOONING LEGISLATION |
|
The NT's innovative Driver Training And Licensing (DTAL) program is under review and will be replaced by a new program to be called "DriveSafe NT".
DriveSafe NT - a good name! - will be "evidence based", exactly how this will be implemented remains to seen. (I for one am very cynical about so-called evidence if it is paper-based only). The new name is an indication of the program's focus. Too many DTAL students and some of the DTAL instructors focus only on the "licensing" aspect of the current program). As an initial part of the review process, seminars for driver trainers and assessors were held in the NT, facilitated by Dr Teresa Sensserick and Mr Ian Faulks of The George Institute. I attended the 5th May seminar in Darwin and was well satisfied with the way it was run, and the outcomes. Attendance was a little disappointing - I know instructors can have their "hands tied" with appointments such as driving tests, but it was disappointing nonetheless . It was good to see that occupational therapists attended - disabled driver training & assessing is a vital part of our road safety stratagem. A notable feature of this seminar was the absence of government officials, we felt we could open up a lot more than in the past when instructors who brought up "unpopular" subjects were overridden or ignored. (I hope government department people all have a chance to say their piece as well). A submission outlining my concerns with the driver training and licensing system in general is posted on this site. You can also find my views on DTAL over the years on Evolution of DTAL page. A steering committee has been formed with representatives from:
|
As of 1st July 2009, administration of the DTAL Program and its replacement DriveSafe NT will be transferred from the department of Education and Training (DET) to the Department of Planning and Infrastructure (DPI) of which the Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) is a part.
When DET took DTAL over from the original committee, they did not commit themselves fully to the program. DTAL Program Managers with no experience in driver training (and usually no educational experience at all) were appointed. These managers did not regard the post as a "career", it was just a rung on their upward climb to higher positions and a fleeting one at that. The program suffered as a result. The changeover makes sense - DPI will be in a better position to provide the much-needed auditing which is virtually non-existent in the current program. |
The NT Government is getting tough on hooning! :) Read about the new "anti-hooning legislation" on the NT Transport Group's website. A government ad titled "YOU HOON, YOU LOSE" placed in the NT News lists the following activities as being targeted: > burnouts > dragging > doughnuts > time trials > drifting > fish tails > S-bends > skids Lose your car... > Strike 1! - for 24 hours > Strike 2! - for 3 to 6 months > Strike 3! - forever An interesting photo in the NT News (Aug 11th 2007) shows an American teenager watching in dismay as his precious car is crushed under California's "Strike 3" laws. They should do the same here! |
| | Go to Top of Page | Last updated 16th July 2009 Copyright © 2009 John Ziersch | ||