Provisional licence information

From 31 October 2005, further enhancements to the Graduated Licensing Scheme affecting provisional licence holders were introduced.

Under the new rules, you will not be issued with a provisional licence until you have held a learner's permit for a total period of 6 months, are aged at least 16 years and 6 months and have completed at least 50 hours of driving which includes at least 10 hours of night driving with a Qualified Supervising Driver*.

* A Qualified Supervising Driver (QSD) must have held an unconditional /full licence for the last 2 years without disqualification. The driver cannot hold a provisional or probationary licence or be subject to the condition of "Good Behaviour". The QSD must not have a Blood Alcohol Reading of more than 0.05.

The Provisional 1 (P1) and Provisional 2 (P2) Licences were also introduced as part of the new Road Safety requirements. The current provisional licence has been split into two stages now known as P1 and P2.

You will hold a Provisional Licence (P1 and P2) for two years or until your 19 th birthday whichever is longer.

You may apply to obtain your P2 licence if you have held your P1 licence for at least 12 months and:

• not incurred any demerit points for the last 12 months while holding a P1 licence; or
• have successfully completed an approved Driver Awareness Course* if you have incurred 1,2 or 3 demerit points; and
• have passed a Hazard Perception Test*

*The Drivers Awareness Course is designed to address the common reasons for novice driver involvement in road crashes and involves theoretical and practical components spread over a total duration of 8 hours. For safety reasons those who hold a motorcycle licence only will be exempt from the practical component of this course.

* The Hazard Perception Test is a computer based test that displays a series of moving traffic scenarios that recreate high-risk road safety situations commonly encountered by novice drivers. You will be required to respond by touching the screen to indicate when it is safe to commence a manoeuvre or to choose an appropriate action to avoid an accident.

If you have incurred 1,2 or 3 demerit points and have not successfully completed a Driver Awareness Course, you must hold your P1 licence for at least 2 years before obtaining your P2 licence or hold your P1 licence for 12 months without incurring further demerit points.

If you commit a serious disqualification offence, a curfew condition of “Prohibited from driving between 12:00am to 5:00am, unless accompanied by a qualified supervision driver” will be imposed on your licence for 12 months when you return to driving.

Once you have obtained your P2 licence, you must have held your P2 licence for at least 6 months and have held a Provisional Licence (P1 and P2) for a total of 2 years or more.

Where a P2 licence is issued to a person who has previously incurred 1,2 or 3 demerit points, they cannot apply for a full/unconditional licence until they reach 20 years of age. Regardless, a P2 licence must be held for a minimum of 6 months before a full/unconditional licence can be issued.

A Provisional Licence holder cannot accompany a learner driver in the seat next to the learner or as a pillion on a motorcycle or side car.

Hazard Perception Test

The Hazard Perception Test was introduced as part of the enhanced Graduated Licensing Scheme on 31 October 2005.

The aim of the test is measure your ability to identify driving hazards and respond appropriately.

What is the Hazard Perception Test?

The Hazard Perception Test is a computer-based test showing real life filmed driving scenes. Drivers respond to each scene by touching the computer screen (or not touching), to indicate when it is safe (or not safe) to drive or to choose an appropriate action to prevent a crash

Who needs to take the Hazard Perception Test?

Drivers wishing to progress from a P1 to P2 provisional licence will need to pass the Hazard Perception Test.

If you live outside a 100-kilometre radius from a Customer Service Centre or are a Kangaroo Island resident you do not need to take the Hazard Perception Test.

When can I take the Hazard Perception Test to progress from a P1 to P2 licence?

You can attempt the Hazard Perception Test if:

• You have held a current P1 provisional licence for at least 12 continuous months before the date you wish to take the HPT, and have not incurred any demerit points during this time. This 12 month period must not include any licence disqualifications or cancellations;
• You have held a current P1 provisional licence for at least 12 continuous months before the date you wish to take the test, have incurred one, two or three demerit points during this time, but have passed the Driver Awareness Course. The 12 month period must not include any licence disqualifications or cancellations.;
• You have held a P1 provisional licence for at least two years. Any licence disqualifications or cancellations cannot be included as part of the two year period.

How do I practice for the test?

The best way to practice for the Hazard Perception Test is to get plenty of driving experience.

A ‘Hazard Perception Test Handbook’ containing information and exercises that will help you pass the test is available from Customer Service Centres. The handbook can also be downloaded from the publications page.

Where can I sit for the test?

You can undertake the Hazard Perception Test on a computer at a Customer Service Centre between the hours of 9.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Friday. The test is available in the following languages:

• English;
• Arabic;
• Chinese (Mandarin);
• Croatian;
• Greek;
• Korean;
• Serbian;
• Spanish;
• Turkish; and
• Vietnamese.

If during your first attempt you need an interpreter for a language other than those listed above, telephone 13 10 84 to make arrangements.

You must make a booking each time you sit the test. A fee is payable at the time of booking, and for every attempt you make at the test.

Bookings paid for by VISA or Mastercard can be made by telephoning 13 10 84 or by visiting a Customer Service.

Bookings paid for by cash, money order or cheque can be made by visiting a Customer Service Centre.

Driver Awareness Course

The Graduated Licensing Scheme enables P1 drivers to progress to P2 after one year provided that the Hazard Perception Test is passed and the previous 12 months is demerit point free.

If a driver incurs demerit points (without disqualification) they can still progress to P2 after 12 months by satisfactorily completing the Driver Awareness Course and then passing the Hazard Perception Test.

Alternatively, drivers can wait until they have held a P1 licence for 2 years before undertaking the Hazard Perception Test.

The Driver Awareness Course involves both theory and practical components spread over a total duration of eight hours. It covers the common elements known to be associated with new drivers being involved in a road crash - poor hazard perception, over confidence and risky behaviour. Participants are educated about the risks and shown practical ways to avoid them.

For safety reasons, holders of a motorcycle licence are exempt from the practical component of this course. Motorcyclists are exposed to similar scenarios during the Rider Safe course.

A Certificate of Driver Attainment is awarded to successful participants. Which should be presented at a Customer Service Centre before undertaking the Hazard Perception Test and progressing to a P2 licence.

The approved provider of the Driver Awareness Course is:

Roadsafe Australia Pty Ltd
3 Frederick Road
Royal Park SA 5014
Telephone: (08) 8241 1877

A fee is payable prior to commencement .