Meanwhile, drivers aged 80 and above face the highest fatality rates because of their age and not necessary being the driver. Surprisingly, those aged 60 to 69 emerge as the safest drivers across various metrics.

Top reasons teenage drivers cause the most crashes

If you consider car accidents by age, young drivers, especially teens, often underestimate and struggle to identify hazardous situations on the road. This makes them prone to making critical errors that lead to severe car accidents.

There were 1266 deaths in 2023 more people died on roads in New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria in 2023 than in the year before, dragging up the national road death toll. When it comes to New South Wales most of the other states travel through this state to reach either Queensland or are returning to Victoria.

Looking at the age groups 40-64 years were the most represented in the road toll with a total of 387 fatalities.

I'm at a loss to why an 80+ year old who most likely has never had a crash has to have licence test every year, when these young ones that do have crashes get a slap on the hand and let back out on the road many times, might I add that New South Wales, I think, is the only state that punishes people for getting old.

Daphney Mandel Hayes, Tamworth

Lyn Allen makes some very good points regarding the choice of trees that are to be planted in the Tamworth CBD in her letter to the NDL 9th March, the majority of trees introduced to this country are surface feeders. In other words, their roots are shallow and spread out horizontally rather than heading down as deep as they can go, which is typical of our native species, so consequently the introduced species need water, and sometimes plenty of it, and battle during the dry times if they survive at all.

In a city where various foreign species of birds have become a problem, these trees offer absolutely nothing to our native birds.

Incidentally, can someone tell me what happened to the mature proteas planted near the entrance to Bicentennial Park a season ago? They cost a fortune and now there is no sign of them.

Baids McIntyre, Timbumburi

Have your say send a letter to the editor

With the Aust Country Music Assoc now playing games with our festival again I would like to point out a Tamworth motto. Build it, put it there and they'll come! Nothing to do with your apparent one? Build it, Put it there and pull it down when they come.

Now I happen to know some split the festival in half for what they want and those who want the Awards. Plan it that way? It's the people who make the festival. Not you. You are The Beverly Hillbillies here. Why come at it again?

This old bloke was involved in country music here from the early sixties and even met Rex Dallas playing the Dodds Hotel in Cooma when transferred there about 64. He went on tour with Rick and Thel Carey and I didn't leave my PMG job and go with them as transferred to Tidbinbilla and Parkes. Rick and Thel came to Tamworth to get talent for tours. Same as Slim etc. That's back then.

Australia's first recordings were made here at 2TM and I knew Buddy Bishop who recorded The Farmyard Yodel circa 44/47 to his memory then.

Really who cares as music was around here seems forever. The old hotels had music when I was a kid and came down the mountains from Walcha.

Country music has always been here. It's its home. It's a nation's home. The people's home and you want to tear the house down! It's a people's festival. They get what they want. Not what you want. Don't buy a trainset as I know what you would do with it.

Allan Lisle, Tamworth

Credit to Tesla and Polestar for calling out the misinformation coming from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries about the important New Vehicle Efficiency Standard ("Polestar hits out at peak auto body", 9/3). 85 per cent of the world's cars, including those in every developed country except for Australia and Russia, are already covered by a fuel efficiency standard. It's high time Australia caught up.

Accessing new vehicles that burn less fuel per kilometre driven will reduce the running costs and air pollution associated with Australia's cars. Cleaner cars are better for every-day Australians' hip pockets, our environment, and our health. It's a pity lobby groups can't put the interests of the public ahead of their own profits.

Amy Hiller, Kew

The increase in the population of humans in the world since the year 1900 has been massive. In 1900 approx.1.7 billion humans inhabited the world, now the world population of humans has risen to approx. 8.1 billion.

It is little wonder that the enormous increase in human beings in the world, and their ever-growing requirement for energy, has, and is having, a huge impact on human caused climate change.

The necessity to convert with urgency from using fossil fuels to using renewables, to create energy, has never been so obvious and compelling.

Brian Measday, Kingswood SA