Tom’s Law: 10 P-plate drivers have been convicted since law came into effect in December

One P-plate driver is being caught every five days breaching passenger restrictions which were introduced last year to combat the State’s rising road toll. The West Australian can reveal 19 infringements have been handed out and 10 drivers have been convicted in court since Tom’s Law, which restricts red P-plate drivers to one passenger, came into effect in December. Tom’s Law was introduced after the advocacy of Samantha Saffioti, whose 15-year-old son Tom was killed alongside his friend Mark Bogoni, 17, in 2021 when the car they were passengers in crashed in Seville Grove. The State Government said it was too soon to identify a trend, but the Department of Transport said police have observed a high level of compliance with the new rules. Department research found 80 per cent of drivers surveyed knew about the single passenger restrictions. And almost 70 per cent supported the crackdown. “New road rules work best when enforcement and road safety messaging work hand-in-hand,” a State Government spokeswoman said. “Complemented by in-school driver education programs and campaign messaging, the P-plater restrictions work to protect those at-risk drivers by restricting red-plate drivers to one passenger at a time.” The penalty for being caught with more than one passenger is a $200 fine and two demerit points. Novice drivers, who have their red P-plates for six months, are also banned from driving between midnight and 5am. A Safer Driver Course announced in October as part of the Government’s response to pleas from grieving families, is yet to be rolled out. The State Government said the three-hour course was on track to start in July, in regional and remote WA. “All Western Australian drivers are responsible for behavioural change on our roads which is why we have implemented a range of behavioural change programs targeted at all drivers,” the spokeswoman said. In calling for the new laws, Ms Saffioti, who pushed for them to be implemented before Leavers Week last year, said they were a “no brainer”. “It’s been working in other States, and I think it’s time the WA Government steps up to the plate and help to protect our kids,” she said. “That gives them enough time to learn the road rules, learn to be on the road. At the end of the day, they are driving a weapon, and I feel that that just gives them enough time to grow in the space of driving.” The State’s road toll was 77 on Monday, with five more people killed than the same time last year. The 188 deaths recorded in 2024 was the highest fatality rate in eight years. According to the State Government, young drivers aged between 17 and 19 years old are killed or seriously injured in crashes at the highest rate in WA, at 107 per 100,000 population compared with other age groups. Research shows novice drivers are at a higher risk of crashing when they are distracted. Among the young people who died on the roads last year was 18-year-old Nick Campo, who was killed when the car he was a passenger in, driven by a 17-year-old boy, crashed in North Lake in July. The teenage driver has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and five other charges and is set to be sentenced in the Perth Children’s Court next month. Levent Cipriano, 17, died after his car crashed with a truck on a rainy day in Jarrahdale in September. His mother, Georgia Cipriano, has called for more training for young people driving in adverse weather conditions.