P-Plate turbo ban to change

P-Platers in New South Wales could soon be back behind the wheel of turbo powered cars, if plans to scrap the controversial ban are upheld.

Currently P-Platers are restricted from driving any car with eight or more cylinders or any car with forced induction. But a new national system, which judges a car based on its power-to-weight ratio and is currently being used in Victoria, could soon be ushered in.

Already approved by Austroads – the national transport authority for Australia and New Zealand – this new system would allow youngsters to pilot turbo engines designed for efficiency, like the four-cylinder engine used in the Ford Falcon Ecoboost. Performance cars, like the Subaru WRX or VW Golf GTI, would remain banned.

Drivers aged 17-25 have the highest rate of road fatalities according to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. If approved, the new regulations are aimed to begin from January 2014.