Changes for learner drivers
Any person issued with a learner licence from 1 January 2020 is required to meet the following in order to obtain a provisional licence:
- If you are under 25 when issued with your learner licence you must have held a learner licence for at least a year.
- If you are 25 or older when issued with your learner licence you must have held a learner licence for at least six months.
- You must have completed the minimum required hours.
- You must have successfully completed a hazard perception test.
- You must have either: successfully completed a one-off driver assessment; or the CBT&A modules administered by an ACT accredited driving instructor to the required assessment standards.
Anyone issued with a learner licence is provided with a logbook that will help you keep a record of the new requirements, including driving hours and assessments.
The period for which a learner licence is valid increased from two years to five years on 1 January 2020, in consideration of the new requirements.
Required driving hours
Without an extensive amount of supervised driving, it is possible that learners will not experience driving under more challenging and complex situations until after obtaining a provisional licence. Evidence supports setting minimum driving hours, including at night.
If you are under 25 when you are issued with your learner licence you must undertake a minimum of 100 supervised driving hours, including a minimum of 10 hours at night-time.
If you are 25 or older when issued with your learner licence you must undertake a minimum of 50 supervised driving hours, including a minimum of five hours at night-time.
Hazard perception test
The hazard perception test is an online computerised test that measures a person’s ability to detect and respond to potentially dangerous situations on the road. Research shows the value of the hazard perception test in predicting subsequent crash risk, including some evidence that found those drivers who failed the hazard perception test at least twice were more likely to be involved in a crash compared to those who passed on their first attempt.
Persons issued with a learner licence after 1 January 2020 must successfully complete the hazard perception test to be eligible for a provisional licence. You will not be able to complete the hazard perception test until you have held a learner licence for three months. Once the test is successfully completed it does not expire.
The formal test, as well as practice clips, is available on the Safe Plates website.
Mobile device ban
Learner and provisional drivers have been subject to a full mobile device ban. So, when you’re driving – it is illegal to text, use social media, use blue-tooth, handsfree or speaker mode. If you even touch your mobile device - to skip a song or talk-type message - you could lose up to $600, four demerit points and maybe even lose your licence.
Operating a vehicle requires your full attention. Using mobile devices while driving is distracting and can cause crashes that could result in injury or death. Any activity that distracts a driver while operating a vehicle is dangerous, and can result in lane deviations, greater fluctuations in speed and delays in driver reaction time. Studies also suggest that hands-free phone use is no safer to use while driving than hand-held devices. This is because cognitive distraction has the most significant impact on driving performance.
The penalty for using a mobile device for messaging, social media use, accessing applications and internet is four demerit points and either a maximum court fine of 20 penalty units or an infringement notice penalty of $589. The penalty for otherwise using a mobile device (for example, making or receiving a call) is three demerit points and either a maximum court fine of 20 penalty units or an infringement notice penalty of $480.
There is an exception for listening to music and podcast type audio, provided the device is not being held by the driver and does not require interaction by any means, including by voice, while driving. We encourage drivers to put the device into Do Not Disturb mode to remove the temptation to touch it to skip songs or change apps. Please note the ban includes hand-held or wearable devices, such a headphones or a speaker, so you cannot touch them while driving.
There is an exception for using a mobile device for GPS, provided the device is secured in a mounting affixed to the vehicle (eg. mobile phone holder, blue-toothed) and does not require interaction by any means, including by voice, while driving. You should set up your GPS instructions before you drive.
Frequently asked questions
If I travel interstate as a learner or provisional licence holder, what licence conditions will apply to me?
In most cases the conditions of your licence will travel with you into other jurisdictions. For example, the peer-passenger restrictions and requirements to display your P plates when driving will still apply to you if you cross the ACT border. However, other states and territories may have different road rules that specifically apply to learner and provisional drivers (such as reduced speed limits). It’s best to check ahead with the state or territory you’re planning to travel to.
How do I transfer my learner licence from another state or territory to the ACT?
If you are transferring your learner licence from another state or territory, your previous driving hours and education will be recognised in the ACT. Please provide evidence to Access Canberra when applying for your provisional licence (e.g. bring along your logbook which was issued from the other state/territory).
Are there any options to assist in completing the number of required driving hours?
The requirement for learner drivers to complete a minimum number of supervised driving hours has been put in place in order to develop your confidence behind the wheel and build your ability to identify and navigate risks before you drive solo. There will be a few options to assist you in achieving your required hours.
The first 10 hours of driving with an ACT accredited driving instructor will count as 30 hours towards your required driving hours. After that each hour with a driving instructor counts as an hour of driving. Two optional courses are now available to assist you in achieving your required driving hours.
Safer Driver Course
The Safer Driver Course includes both theory and practical components with an aim to reduce risky driving behaviours prior to driving solo. The course is limited to learner drivers who were aged under 25 at the time their learner licence was issued. You must also have held your learner licence for at least three months before applying. Successfully completing this course will count as 20 hours towards your required supervised driving hours.
Vulnerable Road User Program
The Vulnerable Road User Program focuses on safely sharing the road with cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. This course can be completed by all learner drivers after you have held your learner licence for three months. Successfully completing this course will count as 10 hours towards your required supervised driving hours. This course is available to all learner drivers irrelevant of age.
Are there any exemptions for provisional licence applicants?
If you are applying for a provisional car licence, you may be exempt from certain eligibility requirements if exceptional circumstances exist.
Exemptions to eligibility requirements
For learner licences issued prior to 1 January 2020, you may seek an exemption from the minimum age or tenure requirements.
For learner licences issued or renewed on or after 1 January 2020, you may seek an exemption from the minimum age, tenure, and the required driving hours requirements.
You can only be exempted from the required driving hours if:
- you were under 25 when issued with your learner licence;
- you have held your learner licence for at least 6 months; and
- you have completed at least 50 hours of supervised driving hours.
You cannot be exempt from:
- the required driving hours if you were 25 or older when issued with your learner licence;
- successful completion of a Hazard Perception Test; and
- successful completion of a driver assessment administered by an authorised person or competency-based driver assessment administered by an ACT accredited driving instructor.
Grounds for applying for an exemption
You may only apply for an exemption for the following reasons:
- serious impairment to career path – that is, due to circumstances beyond your control, you will not be able to continue fulltime work unless you are granted an exemption;
- serious impairment to education – this is when, due to circumstances beyond your control, your access to education would be seriously impaired if you are not granted an exemption;
- serious impairment to family business – this is when, due to circumstances beyond your control, your family business would be put at serious risk of severe financial damage if you are not granted an exemption; and
- other. It is recognised that other exceptional circumstances may warrant special consideration.
In all cases you must be able to demonstrate that you have no other suitable transport options.
Applying for an exemption
Applications should be submitted to lara@act.gov.au
All applications must contain:
- a signed letter seeking the exemption, addressed to the Director, Licensing and Registration, at Access Canberra;
- proof of your identity and age which meets Access Canberra’s proof of identity requirements;
- documentation demonstrating your total number of required driving hours, including evidence of any approved learner licence training courses completed;
- if appropriate, a letter from your parent or guardian supporting the request, including the reasons why they support the request; and
- other documents which may support the request. An applicant cannot rely solely on a letter from their parent/guardian. There must also be documents verifying the circumstances (e.g. evidence of detriment to career path, education or family business).
Granting of exemptions
You may be granted a conditional provisional car licence. This means that your licence may have certain restrictions. For example, if you are granted a provisional car licence without having completed the minimum required driving hours at night, you may not be able to drive unsupervised at night.
If you require further information, please email lara@act.gov.au
Changes for provisional drivers
Provisional licence stages
If you are under 25 when you are issued with a provisional licence you will be subject to the following two provisional licence stages:
- Stage 1 – P1 – 12 months – red P plates and late-night peer passenger restrictions
- Stage 2 – P2 – 2 years – green P plates
Provisional licences issued continue to be issued for 3 years.
If you are 25 or older when you are issued with your provisional licence you will go directly to the P2 stage. That is, you are not subject to the late-night peer passenger restrictions and are required to display green P plates for the duration of your provisional licence (three years).
It is recommended that drivers issued with a provisional licence prior to 1 January 2020 display green P plates from 1 January 2020 in order to distinguish themselves from new provisional (P1) drivers.
Late-night peer passenger restrictions
During the P1 stage of a provisional licence, you will be limited to one peer aged passenger between the hours of 11pm and 5am. A peer aged passenger is someone (that is not a family member) who is aged between 16 and 22 years old.
Research supports the effectiveness of night-time driving restrictions for young drivers. Young drivers are at a heightened risk of crashing as the dangers of distraction, challenging driving conditions and fatigue are enhanced at night. Research also indicates that transporting peer aged passengers has also been shown in many studies to significantly increase crash risk for young drivers, given the opportunity for distraction and encouragement for risk taking behaviour.
Risks reduce with age and cognitive development, therefore provisional drivers aged 25 and older at the time they are issued with a provisional licence will go immediately to P2 conditions and are therefore not subject to the late-night peer passenger restriction.
Mobile device ban
Learner and provisional drivers have been subject to a full mobile device ban. So, when you’re driving – it is illegal to text, use social media, use blue-tooth, handsfree or speaker mode. If you even touch your mobile device - to skip a song or talk-type message - you could lose up to $600, four demerit points and maybe even lose your licence.
For more information refer to mobile device ban above.
Information for ACT Accredited Driving Instructors
How do the changes impact driving instructors?
If you are an ACT accredited driving instructor, you are able to assess and sign off any learner driver against the Competency Based Training and Assessment modules, whether they were issued with a learner licence before or after 1 January 2020.
A learner who obtained their licence before 1 January 2020 will be required to satisfy the previous provisional licence eligibility requirements to obtain a provisional licence. When they obtain their provisional licence now they are subject to the new conditions that apply to provisional licence holders, for example, late night peer passenger restrictions.
A learner who is issued with their learner licences after 1 January 2020 will need to complete the new provisional licence eligibility requirements, such as the Hazard Perception Test.
In the new system you will also be able to sign off on required hours as either a driving instructor or driver supervisor: 10 hours with an ACT accredited driving instructor will count for a maximum of 30 driving hours. Every hour after that with a driving instructor, including one from another jurisdiction, will count as one hour. The new logbook includes relevant spaces for recording these hours. Further information is available in the following attachments, including the detailed checklist of competencies:
