Although the age limit has decreased, the learners licence permit now has to be held for 12 months. In this 12-month period the following laws and regulations have been put in place to make you a safer and more alert driver.

These laws and regulations include:

· Gaining 100 hours of supervised on-road driving experience, of which at least 10 hours will need to be night driving. This will be recorded and certified in a logbook and signed by the supervisor. This must be completed before a learner driver can undertake a practical driving test.
· A ban on the use of all mobile phones, including the hands-free option.
· A ban on supervisors and passengers using a mobile phone with a loudspeaker function.
· L plates should be displayed at the front a rear of the vehicle at all times.

Applying for a P1 Provisional Licence

Before you obtain a P1 licence you must:
· Hold, and have held, a learner licence for that type of vehicle for at least 12 months.
· Be at least 17 years of age.
· Have gained 100 hours of supervised on-road driving experience, of which at least 10 hours will need to be night driving. This needs to be recorded and certified in a logbook and signed by the supervisor.
· Declare you are medically fit to drive the type of motor vehicle that you want to drive. If you have a medical condition or disability, you must provide a medical certificate that describes your condition or disability, and states your condition or disability will not affect your ability to drive safely.
· Lodge your logbook with Australia Post

Queensland Transport will then review your logbook and advise whether you are eligible to book your Q-SAFE practical driving assessment through a licence-issuing centre. If you have a driver trainer, they will book you into a testing centre. You are required to pay a driving assessment fee and present the receipt with your learner licence when booking your assessment.

To obtain your provisional licence, you will be required to pass a practical driving test that will check a range of driving skills and manoeuvres.

A P1 Provisional Licence holder must:

· Display red P plates for a minium period of 12 months.
· Carry only one passenger aged under age 21 from 11pm to 5am. This excludes immediate family members.
· Adhere to a ban on using a mobile phone, including hands free and blue tooth accessories.
· Adhere to the ban of passengers using a mobile with the loudspeaker function.
· Adhere to vehicle power restrictions.

For more information click here.

Applying for a P2 Provisional Licence

In line with the Queensland Government's new Graduated Licencing System all P1 license holders are now required to pass an Hazard Perception Test before being eligible for their P2 licence.

The Hazard Perception Test is an online examination that measures the driver's ability to recognise and appropriately respond to potentially dangerous situations while driving. The test consists of a series of video clips in which the provisional driver is required to identify potentional traffic conflicts that would require the driver to take action.

For more information about the test click here .

A P2 Provisional Licence holder must:

· Display green P plates for the rest of the provisional licence
· Adhere to high-powered vehicle restrictions.
· Pass the Hazard Perception Test

Also a late night driving restriction will be introduced as a penalty for provisional licence holders under 25 years of age who breach certain licence requirements.

For more information click here.