International driving licenses.

A recent case in a Wollongong court has raised concern about the safety of international driving licenses.

An Indian student, driving on an international driving license - failed to exchange details and left the scene after an accident that left another driver's car damaged.

He claimed that in his home state such a requirement did not exist and that gaining an international driving license was as simple as having it mailed out on request.

The whole purpose of international driving licenses was to recognise a travellers driving skills by accepting the license issued in his own country as a temporary driving license for the period of stay in Australia - much as driving licenses issued in each Australian state and New Zealand are recognised everywhere in Australia.

There is a presumption that all drivers undergo some sort of test before a home country license is issued, and that as part of gaining an international license the holder will be aware of different road rules in the country they visit.

It now seems that license standards are extremely lax in some parts of the world, and as a result there are drivers here using international driving licenses that have no idea of our road requirements - and may not have the skills to safely drive on our roads.

Perhaps this anomaly needs to be tightened - and international driving licenses be only granted to residents of countries with similar driving standards to our own.