L and P licences

Young adult road users

During 2007, there were 80 young adult road user fatalities, aged 17-24 years, as a result of crashes within Queensland. This represents 22.2 per cent of the Queensland road toll.

17–24 year old male road user fatalities were more than three times the number of female fatalities for the same age group within Queensland during 2007. During 2007, female road user fatalities aged 17–24 years old were more likely to be passengers and male road user fatalities aged 17–24 years old were more likely to be drivers, within Queensland.

Young people and driver licensing

Queensland has introduced a comprehensive graduated driver licensing system. It allows novice drivers to gain driving experience in various situations. As a young driver you will go through a series of stages to gradually increase your experience at driving in various conditions. There are four types of licence:

learner licence
P1 provisional licence
P2 provisional licence
open licence.

How do I get my learner licence?

You can apply for a learner licence when you are 16 years old. To apply for your learner licence visit a Queensland Transport customer service centre or if you live in a rural area visit your nearest licence-issuing police station or Queensland Government Agency Program office.
You are required to:

complete the Driver Licence Application/Renewal form (F3000)
show suitable evidence of your identity and Queensland residency documents
pass an eyesight test if required
declare that you are medically fit to learn to drive the class of motor vehicle. If you have a medical condition that might affect your ability to drive safely, you are required to show a medical certificate from your doctor stating that you are medically fit to drive or ride safely
pay the written road rules test fee and pass the test
pay the required learner licence fee.

Before you sit the written road rules test you can test your knowledge by completing the sample questions in the practice road rules test. This will give you an indication of the areas you need to focus on before you try to pass the test on your first attempt.

Learner logbook

When you gain your learner licence you will be given a Queensland learner logbook. As a learner you are required to complete 100 hours of supervised on-road driving, including 10 hours of night driving. The Queensland learner logbook is the place for you to record your 100 hours. Completing 100 hours of supervised on-road driving is a requirement you must complete before you undertake a practical driving test to be eligible to progress to a P1 provisional licence. Visit the Queensland Transport website for more details on your logbook requirements and how to complete the learner logbook.

How do I prepare for my practical driving test?

Practice. Practice. Oh, and practice. The more time you put into driving the more experienced you will become and the better your chance of passing the test. But it’s not just about passing a test – it’s about being a safe driver. It’s been proven that learner drivers who receive approximately 120 hours of supervised experience have 35 per cent less chance of being in a crash than drivers who have only approximately 40 hours. That's why you are now required to log at least 100 hours of on-road driving before you can sit your practical driving test. Practice makes perfect!

How do I get my P1 or P2 provisional licence?

Once you have successfully completed a practical driving test, you are eligible to apply for a P1 or P2 provisional licence. A P1 provisional licence for a car (class C) will only be issued to people under the age of 25 years. If you are over 25 years or older, you will skip the P1 provisional licence phase and will be issued a P2 provisional licence.

To apply for a P1 or P2 provisional licence you are required to:

be at least 17 years of age
have completed 100 hours (or equivalent) of supervised on-road driving experience (in a manual or automatic car), including 10 hours at night. This must be recorded in a Queensland learner logbook and be assessed and passed by Queensland Transport (for drivers under 25 years of age)
hold, and have held, a learner licence for the class of vehicle you are learning in for at least one year. This only applies to a person applying for their car licence (class C) for the first time.
pay the practical driving test fee and book the test
pass an eyesight test if required
show sufficient evidence of identity
declare you are medically fit to drive the class of motor vehicle. If you have a medical condition that might affect your ability to drive safely, you are required to show a medical certificate from your doctor stating that you are medically fit to drive or ride safely
pass a practical driving test in a vehicle that is representative of the class of vehicle that is authorised to be driven under the class of licence you are applying for
complete the Driver Licence Application/Renewal form (F3000) and pay the licence fee.

Note, if you were 24 years when you first obtained your P1 provisional licence, you will progress to an open licence without having to hold a P2 provisional licence. To get your P1 or P2 provisional licence visit a Queensland Transport customer service centre or if you live in a rural area visit a licence-issuing police station or Queensland Government Agency Program office.

How do I get my P2 provisional or open licence?

To be eligible to progress from a P1 provisional licence to a P2 provisional or open licence you must:

have held your P1 provisional licence for a minimum period of 12 months
pass a hazard perception test and paid the test fee

It is important to note that you will remain on your P1 provisional licence and not progress to a P2 provisional or open licence unless you have met all the above requirements and made an application at a driver licence issuing centre.

Hazard perception test

Poor hazard perception skills have been shown to contribute to young driver crashes. That's why all P1 provisional licence holders must pass the hazard perception test in order to graduate to either a P2 provisional or open licence (dependent on age).

The hazard perception test is an online computer-based test which measures your ability to anticipate and appropriately respond to potentially dangerous situations while driving.

You will view video clips of genuine, unstaged traffic scenes filmed from the driver's perspective and be required to anticipate potential traffic conflicts by clicking on the video using the computer mouse. A traffic conflict is something that would require the driver to take some action, for example, slow down, overtake or change course.

How long do I have to hold a P1 or P2 provisional licence for?

Provisional licence periods
Age when issued P1 licence	Time to hold P1	Age when issued P2 licence	Time to hold P2
under 23	1 year	under 25	2 years
under 23	1 year	25 and over	1 year
23	1 year	24 and over	1 year
24	1 year	n/a – open licence issued	-
-	-	25 and over	1 year

L-plates and P-plates

Leaner drivers must clearly display L-plates, P1 provisional licence holders must clearly display red P-plates and P2 provisional licence holders must clearly display green P-plates on the front and rear of their vehicle. You and your supervisor will be fined if you fail to correctly display L-plates or P-plates on your vehicle while you are learning to drive. You can download and print a colour L-plate or P-plate template from the Queensland Transport website. Or you can also buy them from service stations, major retailers and automotive outlets. Check with your supplier for costs.

Restrictions

Based on the identification of high risk factors associated with novice drivers, restrictions are placed on learner, P1 and P2 provisional licence holders in Queensland.

Mobile phones

	Hands-free	Bluetooth	Speaker 'broadcast' function
Learner driver under 25 – car (class C)	No	No	No
P1 driver under 25 years	No	No	No
Probationary P1 driver under 25 years	No	No	No
Passengers of learner and P1 drivers under 25 years	Yes	Yes	No
Passengers of probationary P1 drivers under 25 years	Yes	Yes	No
Supervisors of learner licence holders	Yes	Yes	No

Note, yes in the box above indicates you can use the corresponding phone feature.

Passengers
P1 provisional licence holders under 25 years can carry no more than one passenger under the age of 21 years between the hours of 11pm and 5am (unless they are an immediate family member).
Peer passenger restrictions apply to:

provisional licence holders under 25 years who are the holder of a P1 provisional licence
P1 provisional licence holders who return from a disqualification to a P1 probationary or restricted licence (the date of the offence which caused the disqualification must have been committed prior to the offender turning 25 years).

High powered and performance vehicles
High powered vehicle restrictions apply for the duration of P1 and P2 provisional licence periods (for anyone under 25 years). They also apply to P1 and P2 probationary licence holders.
High powered and performance vehicles include those with:

eight or more cylinders
a turbo-charged or super-charged engine that is not diesel powered
an engine that has a power output of more than 200 kW as per the manufacturer's specifications
a rotary engine that has an engine capacity of more than 1146cc as per the manufacturer's specifications
a modified engine that must be approved under the Transport Operations (Road use Management – Vehicle Standards and Safety) Regulation 1999, section 30

For more information on restrictions and exemptions please visit the Queensland Transport website

What responsibilities do I have on a learner licence?

As a learner licence holder you must:

drive with someone who holds and has held an open licence for the class of vehicle you are learning in (for example, automatic or manual), for at least one year
have a zero (0.00 per cent) blood or breath alcohol limit if you are under 25 years
clearly display L-plates on the front and rear of your vehicle
carry your learner licence with you and show it to a police officer when asked to do so
obey any conditions stated on your learner licence
not use a mobile phone. Passengers and supervisors are also restricted from using a mobile phone in loudspeaker mode while the car is being driven
not drive under the influence of drugs.

What responsibilities do I have on a P1 provisional licence?

As a P1 provisional licence holder you must:

have a zero (0.00 per cent) blood or breath alcohol limit if you are under 25 years. If you are 25 years or over your blood or breath alcohol must not exceed 0.05 per cent when driving. Drink driving offences carry monetary fines and disqualification periods
clearly display red P-plates on the front and rear of your vehicle
comply with peer passenger, mobile phone and high-powered and high performance vehicle restrictions until the age of 25 years
carry your P1 provisional licence with you and show it to a police officer when asked to do so
obey any conditions stated on your P1 provisional licence or restrictions attached to your licence
not drive under the influence of drugs
not accumulate four or more demerit points in one year.

What responsibilities do I have on a P2 provisional licence?

As a P2 provisional licence holder you must:

have a zero (0.00 per cent) blood or breath alcohol limit if you are under 25 years. If you are 25 years or over your blood or breath alcohol limit must not exceed 0.05 per cent when driving. Drink driving offences carry monetary fines and disqualification periods
clearly display green P-plates on the front and rear of your vehicle
comply with high-powered and high performance vehicle restrictions until the age of 25 years
carry your P2 provisional licence with you and show it to a police officer when asked to do so
obey any conditions stated on your P2 provisional licence or restrictions attached to your licence.
not drive under the influence of drugs
not accumulate four or more demerit points in one year.