Young regional Victorian drivers are being offered a $5,000 state government subsidy to ditch their old car and replace it with a safer vehicle under the rollout of a program called Unsafe2safe.
The scheme encourages regional drivers aged between 18 to 25 years old who have a vehicle with a low safety rating and is over 16 years old to replace it with a new vehicle equipped with more advanced safety features.
The vehicle needs to be purchased through a participating dealership and cost no more than $50,000 with a five-star ANCAP rating of less than six years or a Used Car Safety Rating of four stars or more. Probationary licence holders are limited to non-prohibited vehicles.
Traded in vehicles must be registered and presented in drivable condition to the participating dealership, which will organise dismantling and scrappage.
Discussing the topic recently on Melbourne’s 3AW, VACC CEO, Geoff Gwilym said the subsidy doesn’t go far enough.
“On face value, it’s always been a good idea to put young people into safer cars… [However], I think it should be open to more people and not just from regional Victoria.”
Interested participants need to apply via a survey, then complete an online VicRoads Vehicle Safety Course. Not all applicants are guaranteed the subsidy, which closes on 3 September 2023.