Overview
- A November 2020 head-on crash at Suttontown killed Ned and Nan Walker and their daughter Sue Skeer after a 16-year-old learner driver momentarily lost concentration and veered into the opposite lane.
- On Thursday the deputy state coroner recommended that every first-time learner permit applicant supply a medical certificate from a registered practitioner that answers the permit form’s health questions and is sent to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.
- The coroner found the current permit form depends on unverified self-reporting and contains unclear medical questions that likely promote non-disclosure of conditions such as autism, ADHD and Tourette syndrome.
- The inquest recorded a post-crash medical assessment that the driver did not meet driving medical standards and had told police he 'zoned out', and the coroner said disclosure would probably have triggered further testing though it is unknown if that would have stopped the licence.
- The Walker and Skeer families are calling for immediate legislative change, the state government has not yet announced any action, and adopting the coroner’s recommendation would require steps by the Registrar or new legislation that would change how young people start their driving careers.