Enrol in a Safer Drivers Course
The Safer Drivers Course helps young drivers on their L-plates prepare for driving solo when they graduate to provisional licences. Our video Preparing for your Ps shows how the course helps learner drivers with practical advice and safety strategies.
The course teaches learners how to reduce road risks and includes ways to cope when you have your mates in the car or if you’re running late by developing safe driving behaviour.
It’s also designed to help you understand more about speed management, gap selection, hazard awareness and safe following distances, which your parents, supervising drivers or professional driving lessons may not have covered.
Earn credit hours
As well as becoming safer drivers, you can earn a bonus of 20 hours of log book credit once you complete the course, so you only need to finish 100 hours of supervised driving outside the course.
The course has been designed for a learner to attend once, and therefore, the 20 hours of bonus log book credit will only be deducted once.
If you also take 10 hours of professional driving lessons, you’ll receive a further 20 hours of credit on top of the 10 hours you drive during those lessons.
| Learner driver | Credit | Supervised driving hours | Logbook total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safer Drivers Course | 20hrs | 100hrs | 120hrs |
| 10hrs of professional lessons | 20hrs* | 100hrs | 120hrs |
| Safer Drivers Course and 10hrs professional lessons | 40hrs | 80hrs | 120hrs |
*This is in addition to the 10 hours spent driving during the lessons. Professional lessons totalling more than
10 hours will not provide additional credit.
More information on the course
To complete a course, you must be on your L-plates, aged under 25 and have completed at least 50 log book hours of driving.
The course costs no more than $140 and includes a three-hour group discussion with other learners and a two-hour in-vehicle coaching session with another learner. The course is available in almost 250 locations across NSW.
The Transport for NSW website has a list of Safer Drivers Course providers. Book directly with the course provider.
Free course for disadvantaged learner drivers
The NSW Government is offering 1000 free places on the Safer Drivers Course each year to help young learner drivers from disadvantaged backgrounds and Aboriginal communities. The fee exemption allows those who are financially disadvantaged to benefit from the road safety outcomes of the Safer Drivers Course.
To be eligible for a free place you need to:
- Hold a valid learner licence
- Be aged under 25 years
- Have completed a minimum of 50 log book hours of actual on-road driving (excluding any 3-for-1 bonus hours) and should include night driving
- Hold a current Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card issued by the Department of Human Services – Centrelink
- Have been or are currently in Out of Home Care (OOHC)
- Be a current or former participant of a Driver Licensing Access Program (DLAP).
To apply for a free place you need to contact a course provider to enrol in a course and complete the Safer Drivers Course Concession Application form. You will also need to provide a copy of your Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card to your course provider.
Visit the Transport for NSW website to find a Safer Drivers Course provider and speak to them about the free places.
Frequently asked questions
- Will I need to supply my own vehicle for the in-vehicle coaching part of the course?
- What is the maximum number of participants for a course to be held?
- Do I have to complete the course modules in a set order?
- What happens if a learner driver only completes module one?
- In what circumstances can I receive a refund or partial refund for the course?
- Can I fail the course?
- How will the 20 hours credit be recorded in my log book after I complete the course?
- What happens if I have a log book that was issued before July 2013?
- What if I have a grievance/complaint about one of the course providers or their staff?
1. Will I need to supply my own vehicle for the in-vehicle coaching part of the course?
No. A dual-controlled vehicle will be supplied by the course provider.
2. What is the maximum number of participants for a course to be held?
Module one (the group discussion) will be run by a facilitator and the maximum number of participants is 12. Module two (the in-vehicle coaching session) will be delivered by a coach with two learner drivers.
3. Do I have to complete the course modules in a set order?
Yes. Participants must complete module one (the facilitated group discussion), before completing module two (the in-vehicle coaching). Module two should be completed within one month of module one.
4. What happens if a learner driver only completes module one?
The 20 log book hours credit will only be available for learners that have completed both modules of the course within four weeks. Participants should contact the course providers directly to learn more about their cancellation/rebooking policies.
5. In what circumstances can I receive a refund or partial refund for the course?
Course providers are required to tell all participants about their cancellation/refund policy at the time of their booking. Participants can speak to course providers regarding these policies by contacting them directly.
6. Can I fail the course?
No. There is no assessment or pass/ fail component of the Safer Drivers Course. However, participants must complete both course modules to be eligible for the 20 hour log book credit in their learner driver log book.
7. How will the 20 hours credit be recorded in my log book after I complete the course?
As you complete each module the facilitator or coach will enter the details and sign off the course completion in your logbook on page 110, ‘Structured Lesson Record Keeper and Safer Drivers Course Record’. In addition, the driving coach will enter 20 hours credit in the ‘Driver experience record’ section of your log book so you can keep an accurate running total of your log book driving hours.
8. What happens if I have a log book that was issued before July 2013?
You won’t need to get a new log book. The course provider will simply staple a completed and signed insert on page 110, ‘Structured Lesson Record Keeper and Safer Drivers Course Record’ of your log book.
9. What if I have a grievance/complaint about one of the course providers or their staff?
Participants must firstly advise a course provider if they are unhappy with the service or if they seek to make a complaint about a facilitator or coach. If this process is unsatisfactory, you can lodge a formal complaint about a course provider by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 13 22 13. You can also mail your complaint to: Manager, Operational Policy, Safer Driver Course Administration, Roads and Maritime Services, Locked Bag 928, North Sydney, NSW 2059.