YOUNGSTERS could be on the road sooner if a petition to lower the driving age is backed by the State Government,
Northern Victoria Region MP Gaelle Broad wants  to reduce the minimum probationary drivers’ licence age from 18 to 17, matching other Australian states.
Ms Broad has launched a petition for the change after being contacted by many young people, parents and grandparents keen to see the probationary driving age reduced.
“I raised the issue in Parliament ... but was told the Minister had safety concerns with the idea.
“As a parent of two P-platers and one L-plater, I agree that safety is crucial, and training is vitally important to ensure our young people are ready for the responsibility of driving solo. Any road accident statistic is a bad one, regardless of your age,” Ms Broad said.
“But in Victoria right now you need to do more training to serve coffee than you do to drive on our roads. We require learner drivers to record 120 hours of driving in a logbook, but unless they have someone teaching them properly, at the end of it they may still not know how to park a car.”