There’s an absurd gap in our road rules, as I discovered by accident

October 23, 2026 — 3:30pm

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On top of everything else he’s inflicted on the world, Elon Musk has just unveiled the Tesla Roadster, an airborne vehicle that accelerates from standing to 97km/h in less than one second, not a pothole in sight. With awesome built-in screen options and no self-driving capacity, the Roadster is not, the trillionaire admits, “necessarily a safety-optimised car”.

Great. As if we’re not already having enough trouble driving safely on terra firma.

Musk, who has talked about having Asperger’s syndrome and an attention disorder, probably doesn’t do much driving himself, and might (or might not) know that brain drift and cars are a worsening contemporary combo. At a time when a motor vehicle is the most dangerous instrument most of us handle or trust others to handle, we are also plunging into a crisis of inattentiveness.

So while we’re still Earthbound, let’s be down to earth about the facts.

Inattention is becoming public enemy number one on Australian roads. After decades of decline, road fatalities have risen in each of the past four years, according to the federal transport department.

‘It’s madness’: Safety fears prompt calls to bring back buttons on car dashboards

“Distracted driving”, in a 2024 Griffith University survey commissioned by the Australian Automobile Association, accounted for 16 per cent of accidents, and using a phone while driving was found to decrease reaction time by 18 per cent. According to a 2022 Victorian survey of 2403 drivers, 52 per cent used their handheld mobile phone to interact with an app, make or receive a call, email or text while driving.

Insurer Allianz has presented new research........

© The Sydney Morning Herald