UPDATE [07/08/23]: For the 270 drivers in South Australia who currently own a supercar, they’ll no longer be allowed to drive on public roads without a special new licence from the end of 2024.
This comes as new legislation has recently passed to punish drivers who cause harm more heavily, following the death of a teenage pedestrian who was hit by a Lamborghini Huracan in 2019.
Essentially, those who own “ultra high-powered vehicles” will no longer be allowed to drive in “sports mode” while in built-up areas, and must not disable safety features such as automated emergency braking, electronic stability control, or traction control.
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Drivers who own a supercar that weighs less than 4.5 tonnes and has a power-to-weight ratio of 276kW/t will now be required to obtain a “U Class” licence via an online course, which will be available to any driver in South Australia who has held a regular licence for more than three years.
“The introduction of this new offence will allow for a more appropriate penalty range for serious driving conduct leading to the death or serious harm of another,” said Joe Szakacs, Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, “where the conduct has not met the higher threshold of dangerous driving.”
For more minor breaches of this new offence, penalties include between one and five years in prison, while a more significant breach could see up to seven years behind bars. These significant breaches include driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more and drug driving, driving with safety systems turned off, driving with a disqualified licence and more.
Original Article
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and his government are looking to introduce new licensing for high-powered sports cars.
Draft legislation is currently being drawn in light of Sophia Naismith, a teenage pedestrian who died in 2019 after she was hit by a Lamborghini Huracan outside a Glengowrie restaurant.
Malinauskas has advised that the State Government is looking to introduce the following reforms:
- Establishing a new licencing scheme for motorists who want to drive elite high-powered super sports cars; drivers would be required to comply with specific training and other requirements, similar to motorcycle and truck licences.
- Strengthening laws that ban drivers accused of killing a person from holding a licence until their case is resolved.
- Banning the disabling of traction control in high-powered vehicles.
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Alexander Campbell, the man driving the V10 supercar, was acquitted of causing death by dangerous driving by the South Australian District Court on Thursday, August 18th. Mr Campbell pleaded guilty to driving without due care and will be sentenced at a later date.
Mr Campbell had only owned the car for several months and admitted in his police interview that he usually drove the Lamborghini in Sport mode with the traction control turned off.
Malinauskas said: “Every South Australian following the tragic loss of Sophia Naismith cannot help but admire the courage shown by her parents and family. I want to thank Pia and Luke for their advocacy, and I hope these reforms will prevent such a tragedy from happening to another family.”
The South Australian Government are already in the process of bringing these reforms to fruition. It is not yet known whether other states will follow South Australia’s lead.
