Senators yesterday called for more to be done to improve road safety in the wake of the crash on Monday which claimed the life of a teenage motorcyclist.

Opposition Senate Leader Michael Dunkley told the Upper House the issue of road safety needed to be paramount and that he was deeply saddened by the fatal accident, which is being investigated by Police.

"We, as responsible leaders in the community, need to start talking about proper legislation to ensure we can get to grips with what's going on."

Sen. Dunkley said he was not comfortable on the roads and felt sorry for anyone who regularly had to ride a bike. "You are taking your health into your own hands," he said.

Senate President Carol Ann Bassett said during the Throne Speech debate she supported the Government's plan for graduated licences for new riders.

But she added: "I do notice that most people who get into the fatal accidents are not the 16-year-olds. Bad accidents that lead to death are usually late 20s or 30s and male. We are not going to catch them with that. We need something else in order to catch those."

Opposition Senator Michael Fahy urged Government to do more to tackle dangerous traffic. He said road death rates had dropped by 30 percent since speed cameras were installed in Swindon, England, while the drop for those aged under 16 was 47 percent.

Sen. Fahy welcomed Government's move to a graduated licence scheme but he said more needed to be done for traffic safety.

Speed bumps could also curb traffic while new technology meant they could be deflated to let emergency vehicles pass quickly, said Sen. Fahy.

With Government dithering over whether to bring in free buses Sen. Fahy suggested having more routes to make them more attractive. "Some of them end at 6.15 p.m. That can't be of use to public transport users who work late."

The Upper House agreed with a proposal from Government Senator Thaao Dill to send a letter of condolence to the family of David Small Jr., the 19-year-old who was killed in Monday's accident in Warwick.