Getting your driver’s licence in Victoria has never been harder. Gone are the days of just driving a few laps around the block and showing you can reverse, do a three-point turn and park on a hill.

From 1 July 2008, the rules changed.

Learning to drive a vehicle – and stay in control of it – is not easy, a fact to which the road toll bears testament. The new licensing rules are actually good news for all road users, with today’s young drivers among the best prepared to venture onto our roads.

Learner drivers must now be on their learner’s permit for a year and need at least 120 hours of supervised driving experience – with a log book to verify they’ve done the time – if they apply for their probationary licence before they turn 21.

Once “P-platers” gain their licence, they are barred from using mobile phones (even “hands free”), and are restricted in the types of high-powered vehicles they can drive and the number of passengers they can carry.
In addition, alcohol interlocking devices are now fitted to the cars of first-time drink-driving offenders under 26 years old, or those on their P-plates.

These measures are all part of the Graduated Licensing System, introduced by the Victorian government last year, in a bid to slash the road toll statistics among 18-25 year-olds. Support programs have also been introduced for new drivers, supervising drivers and driving instructors to bolster the new measures and help improve the quality of driving instruction.

From July, the new two-tiered probationary licence system began, extending the probationary licence period from three to four years. An improved 50-minute driving test will also be introduced, with the on road component taking 30 minutes.

VicRoads will also start checking the logbooks of learners for probationary licence applicants under 21 who obtained their learner permit on or after 1 July 2007.

Probationary drivers will have their P1 (red plate) for one year before moving onto their P2 (green plate) for a further three years. The probationary period will be extended for those who commit certain offences.

Probationary drivers aged under 21 when first licensed will have a minimum of 12 months on a P1 licence, and all mobile phone use is banned and a restriction on towing applies (unless it is for work or the P1 driver is under instruction). A P1 driver will only be allowed to carry one passenger aged between 16 to 21. Probationary drivers
who are 21 or older when first licensed will move directly to a P2 licence.

Both P1 and P2 licence holders will also be subject to new restrictions on driving high powered cars and will need a good driving record to graduate to the next type of licence.

If a P1 or P2 licence is suspended as a result of a driving offence, accumulation of demerit points, or a penalty imposed by a court, the probationary period will be extended for a further six months plus the suspension period.

The measures are designed to help reduce the number of serious crashes involving young drivers. According to Victorian road toll statistics, one third of the road toll results from crashes involving 18-25 year old drivers. More young people die from road crashes than from any other cause.

The 120 hour driving requirement (which includes 10 hours at night), 12-month minimum learner period and P1 licence applies to people aged under 21 because 90 per cent of first-year P drivers who crash are in this age group. The Victorian government claims there is consistent, scientific evidence that the measures will have a positive effect on safety, based on what has previously happened in Victoria, other Australian states, New Zealand, parts of Canada and the US.

In August 2005, the Victorian government released a discussion paper for public comment on suggested initiatives to reduce young driver road trauma and proposals for a new licensing system. The Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) generally supported the proposals outlined in the discussion paper, but argued a licensing stage that dealt directly with night driving and passenger restrictions was warranted. It also suggested learner drivers qualify for free use of
public transport at night when driving restrictions applied.

It also argued that incentives other than time discounts should be considered to encourage new drivers to undertake driver education courses. These could include reductions or rebates on application fees for licence progression. The LIV also warned that confiscating a vehicle from a driver in regional Victoria could have a far greater impact than a similar order in metropolitan Melbourne. It suggested that the power to make such an order needs to remain with the courts and not be available at first instance to the police. n

More information

Useful website

VicRoads www.vicroads.vic.gov.au