Research shows that being distracted when driving, such as by a mobile phone, increases the risk of a crash.
Simply taking your eyes off the road for longer than two seconds, doubles the risk of a crash.
A short lapse of concentration can have lifelong consequences. See how far you travel when you take your eyes off the road for just two seconds: Travel speed Metres travelled in 2 seconds 40 km/h 22.22 50 km/h 27.78 60 km/h 33.33 80 km/h 44.44 100 km/h 55.56
Overview
Our original Get your hand off it campaign has evolved to highlight the serious consequences of using your mobile phone illegally while driving, which could cost you or those you care about everything.
We – NSW RTA, have adapted the successful ‘Are you driving blind?’ mobile phone distraction campaign launched by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads in March, 2015.
The campaign also encourages drivers to know the rules about mobile phone use.
Dangerous problem
Crash data from 2010 to 2014 showed there were 236 crashes where hand-held mobile phone use by drivers was identified as a contributing factor. This included seven fatal crashes and 116 injury crashes. These crash numbers are considered to be under-reported because of the difficulty of finding evidence of illegal mobile phone use at crash scenes. This suggests the size of the problem could be much greater.
From July 2014 to June 2015, more than 35,300 fines were issued to drivers in NSW for using hand-held mobile phones, showing the problem is still prevalent.
Research shows that males and females aged 17-39 years have the highest rate of claimed use while driving, and the greatest involvement in crashes where hand-held mobile phone use is a factor.
Main messages
It’s not worth it. Get your hand off it
At 60 km/h if you look at your phone while driving for just two seconds, you travel 33 metres blind
Learner and provisional P1 (red Ps) drivers and motorcyclists
Learners and provisional P1 licence holders are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding.
This includes when waiting at traffic lights or stuck in traffic. You must be parked out of the line of traffic to use your phone in any way.
These laws encourage learner and P1 drivers and riders to concentrate on developing their vehicle control and hazard-perception skills.
Mobile phone use can distract novice drivers and riders from the driving task.
From 22 January 2016, learner and P1 drivers and riders penalised for illegally using a mobile phone (four demerit points) will exceed their demerit point threshold and face a three-month licence suspension.
Changes to help keep L and P plate drivers safer
From 1 December 2016, P2 licence holders will no longer be permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding. P2 licence holders will have the same restrictions as learner and P1 licence holders.
1. Can I hold and use my phone when waiting at traffic lights, or stuck in traffic?
No. It is illegal to hold and use your phone at any time while driving or riding. If you want to hold and use your phone your vehicle must be parked out of the line of traffic.
2. Can I use my mobile phone for calls if it is on loudspeaker and in my lap?
No. It is illegal to have your mobile phone touching any part of your body, other than to pass it to a passenger.
3. Can I have my mobile phone in my pocket if I’m using Bluetooth to make or receive a call? Yes, if you have a full unrestricted licence or a provisional P2 licence (green Ps).
You can use a mobile phone for calls if it does not require you to touch the phone in any way (e.g. via Bluetooth).
The rules allow your mobile phone to be in a pocket of your clothing.
No, if you have a learner or provisional P1 licence (red Ps), you are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving.
4. Can I listen to music on my phone if it is in a cradle? Yes, if you have a full unrestricted licence or a provisional P2 licence (green Ps). You can use the audio playing function of a mobile phone as long as the phone is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle and doesn’t obscure your view of the road, or the phone can be operated without you touching any part of it, such as via Bluetooth.
No, if you have a learner or provisional P1 licence (red Ps), you are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving.
5. Can I dial a number if my mobile phone is in a cradle? Yes, if you have a full unrestricted licence or a provisional P2 licence (green Ps). You can use a mobile phone for calls if it is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle. Using a mobile phone legally can still be distracting. Consider if the call is urgent and the demands of the traffic before using your mobile.
No, if you have a learner or provisional P1 licence (red Ps), you are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving.
From 1 December 2016, P2 licence holders will no longer be permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding. P2 licence holders will have the same restrictions as Learner and P1 licence holders.
6. Can I use the GPS function on my mobile phone? Yes, if you have a full unrestricted licence or a provisional P2 licence (green Ps). You can use a mobile phone as a driver’s aid, such as GPS, as long as it is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle and doesn’t obscure your view of the road. You cannot hold your phone to use the GPS function.
No, if you have a learner or provisional P1 licence (red Ps), you are not permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving.
7. Can I use a GPS device that is not a phone if I am a learner or provisional P1 licence holder? Yes. A GPS device that is not a mobile phone is permitted for all drivers, as long as the device is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle and does not obscure the driver’s view of the road. The device must not be placed in a location that will increase the likelihood of injury in a crash.
8. Can I send a text message if my mobile phone is secured in a cradle? No. You cannot text at all while driving, whether or not your phone is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle.
9. What kind of cradle can I use for my mobile phone?
Your mobile phone must be in a mounting that is commercially designed and manufactured for that purpose.
10. Where can I attach a cradle to my vehicle?
The mounting must be fixed to the vehicle in the manner intended by the manufacturer. It must not obscure your view of the road (in front and to the sides), and must not be placed in a location that will increase the likelihood of injury to you or a passenger in a crash.
NSW Practical driving experience – Learner Driver Log Book
Research indicates that learner drivers who increase their supervised on-road experience can reduce their crash risk by 30 per cent, in the first two years of solo driving. Learner drivers under supervision have a very low involvement in crashes. It is only when they begin to drive solo that their involvement in crashes increases.
Your learner driver log book allows you and your supervising driver(s) to record your driving experience. Take care of your log book. If you need a replacement log book, you will need to attend a registry or service centre and pay a replacement fee.
You must log at least 120 hours of supervised driving, including a minimum of 20 hours of night driving, before you can attempt the driving test. Night driving hours are between sunset and sunrise.
Driving lessons with an instructor – 3 for 1
For every one hour structured driving lesson you complete with a licensed Driving Instructor, you can record three hours driving experience in your Log Book. A maximum of 10 hours of lessons will be accepted and recorded as 30 hours driving experience.
This doesn’t mean that driving lessons with an instructor are compulsory, or that you should stop having lessons once you reach the 10 hour limit, if you feel you’d benefit from more lessons.
Driving lessons at night (between sunset and sunrise) count for only one hour of night driving. The other two hours are added to your day driving hours.
Log it – Be sure to record these sessions in your Structured Lesson Record Keeper log book insert.
Exemptions
You do not have to complete a Learner Driver Log Book if you:
Are over 25 years old
Previously held a NSW or interstate driver licence, other than a learner licence
Previously held an overseas licence, other than a learner licence
Hold an overseas licence, other than a learner licence, and are issued with a learner licence after failing one driving test
Are specifically exempted by Roads and Maritime Services.
Recognition of log book hours recorded in another state or territory
If you’ve held a learner licence in another Australian state or territory, Roads and Maritime will recognise hours recorded in an interstate learner driver log book, as long as you provide appropriate documentation.
Practice drives planner
The Practice drives planner is available for supervisors, parents and learner drivers to plan on-road driving experiences. The weekly calendar-style planner can be put up on the fridge or on the wall, so that everyone gets a reminder to negotiate dates and times for practice drives.
The planner can also stimulate discussion between the supervisor and learner driver about where to drive, and what skills to practice. It helps when negotiating and developing a driving partnership. Learning goals and learning content can be found in the Learner Driver Log Book.
Remember:
Plan for practice on a variety of types of roads with different levels of traffic
Ensure the learner driver is getting variety in the time of day
Make sure you plan some night drives, preferably later in the process.
Safer Drivers Course
The Safer Drivers Course helps young drivers on their Ls prepare for driving solo when they graduate to provisional licences.
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 a safer driver, 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
10hrs of professional lessons 20hrs
Safer Drivers Course and 10hrs professional lessons 40hrs
Professional lessons totalling more than 10 hours will not provide additional credit.
More information
To complete a course, you must be on your Ls , aged under 25 and have completed at least 50 log book hours of driving.
The course costs $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.
Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC)
Your BAC must be zero. This means your (BAC) cannot have any alcohol in your system when you drive a vehicle. Demerit points
Your licence will be suspended if you incur four or more demerit points. Display of L signs
L signs must be clearly displayed on the front and back of the exterior of the vehicle. Seatbelts
You must ensure all occupants are properly restrained by seatbelts or approved restraints. Speed limit
You must not drive faster than 90 km/h and must observe the speed limit where it is
below 90 km/h. Supervision A person who has an appropriate Australian full licence (not a learner or provisional licence or an overseas licence) must sit next to you. Towing
You must not tow a trailer or any other vehicle. Location restrictions
You must not drive in Parramatta Park,
Centennial Park or Moore Park when in Sydney. Mobile phone
You must not use any function of a mobile phone, including hands free or loudspeaker
devices when driving. Licence class
You cannot learn to drive for a higher licence class.
SUSPENSION OR CANCELLATION OF LEARNER LICENCE
A learner who commits driving offences may have their licence
cancelled by a court or suspended or cancelled by Roads & Maritime.
A learner licence can be suspended by Roads & Maritime for offences
such as:
• The learner drives without a supervising driver.
• The learner or passengers are not restrained by seatbelts or child
restraints, as appropriate.
• The learner drives with a passenger(s) in the boot or on the vehicle.
NSW Drink driving is a crime. It’s a message that’s been hammered home repeatedly for nearly 25 years.
The good news is that this law, combined with Random Breath Testing (RBT), is estimated to have saved more than 6,000 lives since 1982.
The bad news is that too many people still die on our roads as a result of NSW drink driving – in 2009 nearly one in every five fatal crashes involves NSW drink driving.
The figure is even higher in the country where about one quarter of fatal crashes were connected with drink driving.
Random breath testing started in December 1982 in response to a road toll that had been spiraling right out of control. A spokes person from Roads and Maritime Services says:
“Of all the factors that have helped to reduce the road toll in NSW (such as demerit points, tougher penalties, safer cars etc), RBT has played the biggest role,”.
“In its first 10 years alone, RBT was responsible for about 75 per cent of the reduction in the road toll. In 1982 the road toll was about 1,200 people every year, and now it’s down to around 420. RBT has played a major part in the reduction.”
RBT in NSW began with stationary units waving motorists over and police breath-testing drivers after crashes. A couple of years later, each police car was equipped with breath-testing units so drivers behaving in a manner that suggested they might be under the influence of alcohol could be pulled over on the spot.
And now, every police car – including unmarked cars – has an RBT unit and can conduct breath tests.
Blood-alcohol limits
The maximum blood-alcohol level is 0.05. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the maximum blood-alcohol level was set at 0.08. In response to the continued high incidence of alcohol in crashes, it was reduced in 1990.
In May 2004, a zero blood-alcohol level for L and P plate drivers was introduced to counter the fact that around one third of all NSW drink drivers in fatal crashes were between 17 and 24 years of age, despite the fact they only accounted for about one seventh of licensed drivers. In 1985 the 0.02 level was first introduced for provisional licence holders.
That means, quite simply, that until you have a full licence you cannot drink any alcohol and drive.
A huge fleet
“The chances of being caught if you drive under the influence of alcohol are now greater than ever. Any police officer, at any time, can administer a breath test” says Sergeant Ben Macfarlane, a NSW Police serving Highway Patrol Officer. And they do; over 4.5 million tests were conducted in 2011.
NSW Police can set up stationary RBT sites, where all cars can be waved down, or to conduct mobile testing on any vehicle they suspect is being driven by someone under the influence.
The number of drivers tested is impressive. Sergeant Ben Macfarlane uses his own area of the Blue Mountains as an example.
“You might have two highway patrol cars set up for a couple of hours out of their shift and possibly do between 100 and 200 tests at a stationary site and then they’ll move around and do another 20 or so mobile tests.”
What happens when you’re tested
An RBT or mobile test operates like this:
A driver is waved or pulled over. “We tell them what we’re doing,” says Sergeant Ben Macfarlane.
“People like to know why they’ve been pulled over, obviously. We tell them what’s required and then we ask for a sample of breath. If they refuse, we give them several chances. If they can’t or won’t supply a sample of breath then they’re placed under arrest for the purposes of a breath analysis and taken to the nearest breath analysis station, which can be an RBT truck or bus, or a police station.”
If the driver supplies a sample of breath during an analysis and is under the limit, they’ll be released without charge. If they’re over the limit during the analysis, the driver will be charged according to whatever their reading is.
Drivers who refuse the breath test and then refuse the breath analysis are charged with ‘refusing breath analysis’, which carries the same penalty as a high-range reading.
When drivers drink
As a working policeman, Sergeant Ben Macfarlane has seen all sorts of behavior from drivers under the influence when they’re confronted by an RBT.
“People do all sorts of crazy things,” he says. “You’ve got your basic level of a social drinker who can’t comply with your directions. Then there are people who stop in the middle of the road in busy traffic. You’ve got your next level of people, who will try to get away from the police, who’ll turn-off, do U-turns, turn their lights off and pull over, swap drivers.”
“And then you go up the scale and there’s people who might have more to hide: the car might be unregistered, they may already have been disqualified, or it might be a stolen car. Obviously, they don’t want to be pulled over so they’re going to do all manner of things: shoot through the RBT site, turn back and go the other way. Sometimes people will come quite happily into the site and as soon as we ask them to get out of the vehicle, then they take off.”
And then, of course, there are the scarily drunk people who somehow manage to think they were okay to drive.
“We’ve had people lose control of their bodily functions, in all senses of the word,” says Sergeant Macfarlane. “We’ve had people lose complete control of their emotions. If you could play back a film of what they’d said and done the next day they’d be blown away. We’ve had people not in control of their movements, they may be sluggish or not able to coordinate. So, they’ll be falling over, falling off chairs, and you wonder how they could put themselves behind the wheel.”
There’s no excuse
Sergeant Ben Macfarlane says that faced with the reality of their drink driving, people try to come up with all sorts of excuses.
“People don’t like to take responsibility for what they’re doing and of course they’re very embarrassed,” he says. “Usually they’ve never been pulled over by the police and all of a sudden they’re being told that they’re probably going to lose their licence.”
“I thought I’d be right” is the most common excuse. Sergeant Ben Macfarlane believes this is most often genuine, because people miscalculate how many drinks they can have.
Other excuses include medication interactions with alcohol and emotional issues, such as marriage breakups or job losses but at the end of the day, there’s really no excuse.
Alcohol and driving
Alcohol is a contributing factor in about 20 per cent of fatal crashes and five
per cent of those causing injury.
More than half the drivers killed have a BAC of 0.15 or more – three times the
legal limit of 0.05 for full licence holders.
Staying below 0.05 is hard as not everyone takes the same number of alcoholic
drinks to reach this limit.
Women and people of both sexes who don’t weigh a lot get to higher BACs
faster.
Men are more likely to drink and drive and more likely to be involved in
alcohol-related crashes.
Alcohol reduces your ability to concentrate and to look for and respond to
hazards when driving.
Alcohol slows your reflexes when you need to take action such as braking.
Alcohol increases the risk of a crash. Even at a 0.05, crash risk is about twice
what it is at zero.
The safest BAC for driving is zero.
About 57 per cent of fatal crashes in ‘high alcohol hours’ are alcohol-related.
High intake of alcohol occurs mostly weeknights (particularly Thursday
and Friday nights) and weekends.
Drivers with alcohol in their blood are not only more likely to crash, but more
likely to die if severely injured in a crash.
Staying with a zero BAC when driving gives you an edge. It is the safest BAC for driving regardless of your licence type.
Drugs and Driving
Drugs other than alcohol, including legal medicines and illegal drugs, can affect
your ability to drive safely.
All medicines or legal drugs that may affect your driving are clearly labelled
with warning labels.
Many drugs and medicines interact with each other (and alcohol) in a way that
might affect your ability to drive safely.
Your doctor or pharmacist (chemist) can advise on which medicines affect your
ability to drive.
Illegal drugs carry no warnings and may affect your driving.
Penalties for driving under the influence of drugs include heavy fines, loss of
licence and even prison.
Driver fatigue accounts for about 20% of road deaths in NSW. Fatigue is particularly dangerous because it affects everyone, no matter how experienced a driver you are.
What is driver fatigue? Fatigue is a term used to describe the feeling of being ‘sleepy’, ‘tired’ or ‘exhausted’. This is your body’s way of telling you that you need to stop and rest or sleep. The best way to avoid driver fatigue is to make sure you have plenty of sleep before you set off. The only way to treat fatigue once you have already started driving is to stop and rest until you are refreshed.
Facts about driver fatigue
Fatigue fact 1 Fatigue is associated with the hours when you would normally be asleep. The risk of having a fatal fatigue crash is four times greater between the hours of 10pm and 6am because this is when your body is programmed to sleep. Your temperature falls and your blood pressure drops so that at night and to some extent during the afternoon, your ability to perform tasks can be severely impaired. This includes your ability to drive. Your circadian rhythms (natural sleep pattern) cause this type of fatigue and there is nothing you can do to stop it. So if you drive at night or early in the morning your risk of driver fatigue is increased.
Fatigue fact 2 The average person needs about eight hours of sleep each night to function normally, teenagers need even more. When you reduce the number of hours you sleep at night you start to accumulate what is called a ‘sleep debt’. The only way to treat your sleep debt is by sleeping.
Fatigue fact 3 Fatigue is caused by how long you have been awake. After being awake for 17 hours the risk of driver fatigue is greatly increased.
Fatigue fact 4 You have a high risk of suffering from fatigue immediately after you wake up, when you still feel groggy. This is called ‘sleep inertia’ and generally lasts between 15 to 30 minutes. Wait until you have overcome sleep inertia before you drive. All these factors will increase your fatigue.
Fatigue fact 5 The risk of fatigue increases with the amount of time you have spent driving. To reduce fatigue you should aim to stop for 15 minutes every two hours. But remember, the only cure for fatigue is a good night’s sleep.
Signs of fatigue
Driver fatigue severely impairs your concentration and judgement; it slows your reaction time. In fact, some of the effects of fatigue are as dangerous as the effects of alcohol on your driving. As you drive, watch for early warning signs of fatigue:
The officers agree that the big NSW Driving Test Common Mistakes are the small but important things like signalling – either forgetting to indicate or not doing it for long enough and observation – failing to check your mirrors or blind spots. Stop signs can also be troublesome, particularly when it comes to stopping before the line.
Signalling
Don’t just flick your indicator and drive off, you must signal for at a least 5 seconds before leaving a parking space or moving from a kerb. It is also important to signal at the right time because signalling too early, too late or leaving your indicator on can confuse other road users.
Blind spots
Not checking blind spots is another common error. You need to check your blind spots and mirrors when merging, changing lanes and during your manoeuvres. Drivers often forget to check their left hand side blind spot when turning left off wide roads. Think of it this way, if you could fit a car between the kerb and your car, a head check in your blind spot is required before turning left. You never know when something will be travelling up that part of the road. And don’t forget that an observation check is also required to confirm that it is safe to continue before moving off after being stopped at traffic lights.
Stop signs
A common mistake is not stopping at stop signs and just slowly rolling through. You have to stop the whole car behind the line at a stop sign and traffic lights. Stopping behind the line at traffic lights and then creeping forward does not count – you have to stay behind the line. You can move forward at stop signs when the view may be obscured, but only after you’ve come to a complete stop.
Judgement
Another problem is not selecting safe gaps in traffic. It’s a matter of judgement and experience. Sometimes learners will pull out and misjudge the speed of the car coming towards them or, if it’s a truck, you need to take into account that the truck takes longer to stop than a car.
Right turns
Be decisive, learners trying to turn right at lights can take too long to turn – there may be plenty of room but if you hesitate you can get into trouble.
Learning to drive TURNING
Plan your turns early so that you are in the correct part of the road and have
enough time to signal where you want to turn. LEFT TURNS
You must make a left turn from the left side of the road. When turning:
• Signal left.
• Move close to the left side of the road.
• Keep to the left side of the road you are entering.
• Use a slip lane where one is provided.
When driving on a multi-lane road, you must turn left from the left lane, or from a
lane with a pavement arrow pointing left.
When turning left or right you must give way to any pedestrians
crossing the road into which you are turning. RIGHT TURNS
When turning right:
• Signal right.
• Move as close to the centre line as possible.
• When turning on a multi-lane road, turn right from the right lane or a lane with
an arrow pointing right. Turn right when it is safe.
• In marked lanes, you must stay in the same lane as you go from one road to another.
• You must give way to pedestrians crossing the road into which you are turning.
Traffic lights When turning right at traffic lights:
• Enter the intersection as shown in the diagram, unless a sign indicates otherwise
or there is a red right turn arrow displayed.
• Wait until oncoming traffic clears or breaks and then turn safely.
If the lights change to yellow or red while you are in the middle of the
intersection, you are allowed to turn right. You must turn as soon as it is safe to do
so. Be sure your front wheels and car are straight and not blocking the oncoming traffic.
