What Is The Latest Time A Learner Can Drive
If you are learning to drive with a learner license in NSW, you may be wondering when you are legally allowed to be driving at night.
After you pass your hazard perception test (HPT) and written test and get your Ls, you need to earn 20 hours of night driving as part of your supervised driving experience – but are there any restrictions on when you can drive? Read on, and find out what restrictions apply to you as a novice driver.
You Can Drive As Late As You Want As A Learner Driver Since You’re Supervised
If you’re a learner driver, you can drive at any time of the day or the night as long as you are supervised by a fully licenced (not provisional) driver. Usually, this will be your parent or guardian, but any fully licenced driver can supervise you as you learn to drive.
Because you are in the car with a supervising driver, there are no restrictions on the time you can drive. If you need to get more night time driving hours, you can drive at 10 PM, midnight, 2 AM – whenever you want!
However, make sure you’re not tired or drowsy when you drive at night. As a rule, it’s better to drive earlier in the night to make sure you’re still fully alert and focused. Night driving is dangerous due to limited visibility – and if you’re sleepy or not paying full attention to what you’re doing, you could put yourself and your supervising driver at risk.
In addition, remember that lots of other driving restrictions apply to learner drivers, even when they are driving under a supervising driver. These include:
- Display your learner plates (yellow background with black lettering) on the front and rear of the vehicle
- Not using your mobile phone, including hands free features, while driving, or while fully stopped but not parked
- Obeying all posted speed limits and maintaining a speed of under 90 km/h
Whether it’s day or night, make sure that you’re driving safely. Failure to abide by L plate restrictions could result in demerit points and the suspension or revocation of your licence.
P1 Licence Holders & P2 Licence Holders Have Different Restrictions
Once you get your P1 or P2 driver licence, there are different rules for night driving, as well as passenger restrictions that will apply to you until you get your full licence.
If you have your P1 licence, you are not allowed to drive between 11 pm and 5 am, and you may only carry one passenger younger than 21. There are some exceptions for work and family, which you can read about here.
If you have your P2 licence, both night driving and passenger restrictions are lifted, unless you have been disqualified due to a previous offence while driving. In this case, you will still be limited to one passenger younger than 21.
Of course, once you graduate from your P2 licence and get a full licence, there are no more night driving restrictions of any kind – and you can even supervise learner drivers!
Need Help Learning To Drive? Contact LTrent Driving School For Lessons!
If you want to learn how to drive safely both during the day and at night, professional driving lessons from LTrent Driving School are a great investment. So contact us now to learn more about our pricing and available lessons, and get the expert driving instruction you need anywhere in NSW or VIC.