Safety

What could a mix of drag queens and buff police officers result in? A heeded warning to stop drunken Territorians getting behind the steering wheel of a car.The 2015 Sober Bob campaign was launched at Rain Tree Park yesterday with the help of Throb's drag queens and dancers, as well as Northern Territory police.Sober Bob is an annual campaign pitched to remind those who are planning to go out and drink alcohol to nominate a "sober bob" – or someone who will not drink.Senior Sergeant Serge Bouma said police would be conducting more random breath tests on NT roads."At the end of the day, the festive season is about spending more time with family and catching up with family, and we would prefer you to catch up with your loved ones at a family home and not at a funeral home," he said. So far this year, Snr Sgt Bouma has attended two fatal car accidents and said nothing could have prepared him for the devastating scenes.Transport Minister Peter Chandler said nearly half of all the fatalities on NT roads were a result of drink driving."You're not only risking your own lives, you're putting at risk any future opportunities. And what about those people out there who are innocent, who are doing the right thing?" Mr Chandler said."A mate doesn't allow a mate to drink and drive."

The RACT is urging parents not to leave children in locked cars after rescuing more than 80 children from vehicles between October last year and September.The  Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania (RACT) is urging parents not to leave children in locked cars in summer after rescuing more than 80 children from parked vehicles between October last year and September.In the same period the RACT rescued 84 pets who had been locked in parked cars in hot weather.Executive general manager for membership and community Stacey Pennicott said the temperature inside a parked car on a summer's day could be 30C-40C hotter than outside the car.Ms Pennicott said on a day like yesterday, when the forecast temperature in Hobart was 24C, the temperature in a car parked in the sun could be as high as 65C."Research shows that the inside of a car can reach 78C in a closed car and 70C in a car with open windows," she said."As the temperature inside a car increases, any child locked in that vehicle can begin to develop heat stress and start to dehydrate."In addition, young children are more sensitive to heat than older children or adults, meaning they can be at greater risk."The RACT also said:Darker cars could reach slightly higher temperatures.Tinted windows made little difference.Having the windows down 5cm causes only the slightest decrease in temperature.Ms Pennicott said if contacted about a child locked in a vehicle, the RACT would obtain the location of the car so a patrol could be arranged."We will then make a decision as quickly as possible about the need to involve Tasmania Police or ambulance services," she said.

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Ford's Driving Skills for Life program launched in Australia to improve teenage drivers' skills.

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Got a bad road in your neck of the woods? Victorian senator Ricky Muir wants to know about it.

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Hyundai engineers will consider structural changes to the recently released Tucson SUV after an embarrassing four-star result in local ANCAP crash testing.