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Warning goes out to new drivers OVER 40,000 'L' and 'P' plate drivers have received letters in the post warning them of tough new penalties for those who break the road rules.It's all part of the State Government's road safety reform agenda to reduce road trauma in South Australia and will come into effect on October 31 as part of an enhanced Graduated Licensing Scheme. Previously, Learner's Permit and Provisional Licence drivers who lost their licence or permit returned to the same level at the end of the disqualification period. Now they will 'regress' or go backwards. Acting Road Safety Minister Paul Holloway says under the regression law, disqualified L and P plate drivers will need to earn their licence back. "If you break the law and become disqualified, you'll drop from being a P-plater back to an L-plater, or from an L-plater back to a Learner's Permit applicant," he said. "New drivers, particularly those aged between 16 and 20 years of age, are up to three times more likely to be involved in a serious road crash. "So it's extremely important for them to get the message that holding a driver's licence is not a right, but a privilege that can be easily and deservedly lost. If they flout the law, they will have to re-earn that privilege. "The new measures will also mean that novice drivers who break the road laws will get more driving experience before they receive their full licence." Under the new legislation: * Disqualified Learner's Permit drivers regress to: * Passing the Learner's Permit Theory Test again * Holding the permit for nine months * Passing the Basic Ridersafe course if you are a motorcyclist * Disqualified P1 Provisional Licence drivers regress to: * Applying for a Learner's Permit (no theory test required) * Passing a practical driving test again. * Disqualified P2 Provisional Licence drivers regress to: * Being issued with a P1 Provisional Licence (minimum 2 years) * Passing the Hazard Perception Test again. The tougher regulations follow a 12 month period during which six P-platers died on South Australian roads. The first phase of the State Government's enhanced Graduated Licensing Scheme for new drivers, which came into effect last October, created two levels of Provisional Licence (P1 and P2) and required drivers to pass a Hazard Perception Test. Greater penalties were also introduced for disqualified drivers. |
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