"I think there is going to be rejoicing across the state this afternoon from parents and the young people"

said NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay after his announcement of changes to the system for learner drivers in the state.

The biggest change for learner drivers and their families is that drivers will now be able to cut down the amount of supervised driving hours from 120 hours to 80 hours.

The amount of hours will be reduced by 40 hours if the drivers do 10 hours of professional lessons and also a safe driving course.

"We had a situation that whenever there was a problem on the roads, whenever there was an accident, we bumped the hours up, they went from 20 to 40 to 60 to 80 to 120.

What we are saying is that it probably didn't improve their ability to drive.

Today’s teenagers and youngsters are looking to show off their fast cars, fashion and superiority to others. Many teenagers get influenced by friends and peer circles and try and mimic what others are doing and sometimes that can be very dangerous especially when you are driving. A small mistake can cost a life dearly. Teenagers must be taught safe driving tips and made aware that a single split second mistake may make them lose control and can cost their own or someone else’s life. Even if it is not their fault, it could even be a mechanical fault that may cause accident. Speed thrills but kills. One must drive in speed limits.

Driving schools and parents together have a role to play in the driving lessons of a teenager. Getting a licence at this young age is a milestone. There are driving schools in Sydney which specialize in coaching teens for performing well in driving test. The first hurdle that a teenager must pass is that they should learn how to start the vehicle and to shift transmission. This is easily taught by a driving instructor. But the real coaching is all about the subtle matters which happen while driving. Westmead driving school for teenagers cover a wide variety of topics which are not provided by other driving schools.

This starts with basic tips like the distance to be maintained from the car in front of you (3 Seconds Rule), how to brake effectively within the available distance, what all things are to be done if an accident occurs etc. These are the basic things which are taught by a driving instructor. It is the duty of the parents to make sure that their teenager is following the rules of driving while using their car. There are parts of the vehicle which are to be adjusted before the ride starts. This include things like the mirror adjustment, right way of tightening the seat belt, proper parking techniques, and the right use of signals.