Licence changes to develop safe driving for life

A NEW campaign, Plates Plus: Safer driving for life, has been launched to highlight changes to obtaining a driving licence in Tasmania.

Michael Ferguson, Minster for Infrastructure and Transport, said the changes are about more than getting L and P plates.

‘They’ll enable new drivers to develop the lifelong knowledge and skills they need to ensure they and the Tasmanian community are safer on the road.

‘The changes, which came into effect on 1 December, will improve the road safety of our new drivers, streamline the process of getting a licence and save up to $114 per driver.

‘Plus, those who complete their full provisional stage offence-free will be rewarded with a full three year licence for free, worth a further $75.’

Seven key elements to the driver safety campaign are:

• 80 mandatory logbook hours for L drivers, including 15 at night

• single licence card for learner and provisional licence periods

• new maximum speed limits of 90km/h for learners and 100km/h for P1 holders

• a total ban on mobile phone use, including hands free, for all learners and P1s

• P1 drivers under 25 can carry only one peer passenger

• new green P plates for P licence holders

• a new Safer Driver Reward.

To help get the 80 hours in the learner stage, drivers will be able to:

• attend a Rotary Youth Driver Awareness (RYDA) program and gain five hours for the learner logbook

• get a one-hour lesson with a certified driving instructor and gain two hours for the learner logbook – this is capped at 1 lessons (totalling up to 20 hours’ credit)

• get a free Keys2drive lesson funded by the Federal Government, plus a second free lesson funded by the Tasmanian Government.