Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson is pushing for a law change to ensure international drivers use the roads safely and understand the road rules.
Ms Henderson's electorate of Corangamite in Victoria includes the Great Ocean Road, which is a popular scenic driving route for visitors.
"At least 20 per cent of all crashes on the Great Ocean Road are now involving or being caused by international drivers," she said, citing VicRoads as the source of the figures.
and for tourists to watch compulsory road safety video clips.
Great Ocean Road is a popular scenic driving route for visitors. Source: Supplied
"On a weekly basis, we are hearing of incidents involving international drivers on the wrong side of the road, stopping in the middle of the road taking photographs of koalas … [and] running through stop signs,” she said.
“This includes imposing on car and bus hire companies tougher rules to ensure all drivers travelling the Great Ocean Road are properly educated and operate within the law.
“Hire car companies must be forced to provide mandatory information such on “drive on left” stickers to international visitors, many of whom arrive here with virtually no driving experience.
“Drivers are able to obtain an international driver’s licence with negligible driving experience – these tourists become a moving timebomb. The use of international driver licences to travel to and along the Great Ocean Road must also be urgently reviewed,” Ms Henderson said in a media statement.
The Great Ocean Road may be a magnificent tourist destination but it’s also a challenging road on which to drive.
