As soon as you turn 16 years of age you can get your L’s. All you need to do is drop into the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) or Services NSW office, prove your identity and pass a Driver Knowledge Test (DKT).

The Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) computer selects questions at random from a bank of more than 600 examples. You will be asked 15 general knowledge questions and must get at least 12 correct. You will then be asked 30 road safety questions (including questions on traffic signs) and will need to get at least 29 correct to pass.

Everything you need to know to pass the DKT is included in the Road Users’ Handbook (RUH), which is available from the RMS.

To help you as an L plate driver, there are rules and regulations that must be followed. These are designed to keep you safe on the road and help getting your licence a positive experience.

You are required to:

•   Be supervised at all times by the holder of a full Australian driver licence.
•   Have L plates displayed clearly at the front and rear exterior of the car when driving. The letter L on the plate must not be hidden.
•   Observe a maximum speed limit of 90 km/h.
•   Not tow any other vehicle.
•   Not exceed zero blood alcohol concentration (this means you cannot drink before driving or have any alcohol in your system when you are driving a vehicle). It is also illegal to drive under the influence of drugs.
•   Not supervise another learner driver.
•   Only carry the number of passengers that can be properly seated in seats and restrained by approved seat belts or child restraints.
•   Only drive vehicles that have a seat belt fitted to the driver's position and you must wear the seat belt at all times.
•   Not use a mobile phone while driving, This also includes hands free or speaker devices.
•   Failure to comply with any of the above requirements is an offence, carries heavy penalties and you could even lose your licence.

Drive 4 Life recommends all learner drivers take their first professional driving lesson as soon as possible after you get your Learners Licence. The main reasons for having a lesson quickly is to receive expert driver training and education from one of our qualified instructors before venturing onto the road. At this lesson you will receive a personalised learning plan that is designed to fit your own level of driving experience and capability, so your driving experience is safer and more enjoyable.

Your supervising driver can also provide expert instruction when mentoring you through the 120 hours of driving practice that includes 20 hours of night driving.

To be eligible to sit the P1 Driving Test, learners must have held their learner licence for at least 12 months and have completed 120 hours of driving practice, including 20 hours of night driving (unless you're 25 or older). From 20 November 2017, you must pass the Hazard Perception Test (HPT) before you can sit the Driving Test.

The HPT is a computer-based touch screen test that measures your ability to recognise potentially dangerous situations on the road and respond appropriately.

The test uses film clips of real traffic situations. In each clip, you'll be asked to respond by touching the screen, for example when you would slow down, overtake or turn at an intersection.

There are 15 clips in the test; you'll be given two clips to practice on before the test. The test quesetions and situations focus on the five most common crash types for NSW provisional drivers:

•   Rear end collision (33%).
•   Collisions at intersections (17%).
•   Head-on collisions (15%).
•   Running off a straight section of road and hitting an object (9%).
•   Running off the road on a curve and hitting an object (8%).

Call us on 1800 374 834, email us drivertraining@joblinkplus.com.au or contact us.