Transport authorities have begun a review of the penalties that apply in the ACT to a range of road transport offences.
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Confirmation of the review comes after the ACT government delivered its response to the recommendations from the coronial inquest into the death of Blake Corney.
The four-year-old was killed when a truck crashed into the back of his family's car on the Monaro Highway in 2018.
The Canberra Times has been campaigning for the recommendations made by Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker to be adopted nationally.
Transport Minister Chris Steel told the Legislative Assembly earlier this month the ACT government was considering legislation to force medical practitioners to report patients with conditions that could affect their ability to drive to licensing authorities.
Mandatory reporting of that kind was a key recommendation from the inquest, after Ms Walker found Blake Corney's death may have been avoided if the truck driver, who had sleep apnoea, had been reported.
An ACT government spokeswoman on Friday said the ACT's top priority was making the roads safer so tragic deaths, like Blake's, did not occur in the first place.
"The government response delivered last week outlines our plans to strengthen medical health checks when people are applying for a heavy vehicle licence, improve information sharing between agencies about health risks that may make someone more dangerous on the road, and continue improving the physical road environment through safety infrastructure investments," the spokeswoman said in a statement.
Blake Corney's father, Andrew Corney, had called for a review of sentences that could be imposed on drivers who kill people on the roads.
"When you look at what happened in Sydney recently with the driver who killed the four children: he had a sentence of 28 years, 21 non-parole. That's certainly a lot closer to what I would think is in the ballpark," Mr Corney said at the time.
"I'm not saying the driver in the circumstance who killed Blake should get 28 years, but the difference between three years and nine months and 28 [years] is an absolute gulf when I would think some of the factors are not that dissimilar."
The government would also ensure autonomous emergency braking as well as driver distraction and fatigue-detection systems, Mr Steel said earlier this month.
Ms Walker suggested this technology could have prevented Blake's death.
BLAKE'S LEGACY CAMPAIGN:
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- 'I don't accept that': the huge cost to our society of road trauma
- Trucking Australia's deadliest industry, unions say
- ACT leads national push for tougher heavy vehicle driver health screens
- About one in seven fail Hume Hwy truck safety checks
- Changes are being urged to how trucks are permitted to operate in urban environments
- 'Absolutely terrifying': How a brush with death changed Anthony's life
- Dramatic footage shows how truck rollover landed dangerous driving charge
- Drivers have 'moral duty' to improve safety: trucking association
- 'Always watching': How Australian technology is saving drivers' lives
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
