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Despite recent rumours about a supposed P plater CURFEW (footloose style), I am here today to debunk said rumours and further remind you P platers of the commonly forgotten rules that apply to you.
Let’s address the rumour first. For now, there is no complete curfew/restriction in New South Wales on P plate drivers however the law does state that P1 drivers (RED P PLATERS) are subject to a passenger restriction between 11pm and 5am.
What this means is that Red P Platers under the age of 25 are not permitted to drive with more than one passenger who is under the age of 21 between 11pm and 5am. So, in other words… pick your FAVOURITE friend. This came into force following the introduction of Tom’s law in Western Australia. This law aims to prevent the harrowing statistics of P plate accidents after Tom Saffioti and Nick Camp unfortunately were killed as passengers of a P-plater driver who had 5 passengers aboard.
So, I am sorry to say but those midnight group outings you were planning to Maccas are going to have to be rescheduled for some time outside the curfew.
RULES RULES RULES:
Ok P platers I get that you are at an age where you believe that you are invincible and that rules don’t apply to you but time for a REALITY CHECK.
How do I put this kindly?
you. are. not. INVINCIBLE.
Sorry to burst your bubble but rules in fact DO apply to you whether you like it or not. Think about the 120 hours you did to get your licence, how many times you had your mum or dad or even instructor yelling at you to “NOT HIT THE CURB” or my personal favourite “SLOW DOWN” when I already am. EITHER WAY, a licence is a privilege so tell me why in the world people want to test the limits?
Follow the rules = keep licence
Simple concept people.
Back to the rules.
Y’all CARPLAY or BLUETOOTH is a big NO NO in the eyes of the law. So, what does that mean? That means it’s time to invest in a USB and download your favourite tunes or get really friendly with this thing called a radio or even more ancient, an inbuilt CD PLATER.
What about navigation? Guys, most cars come with an inbuilt navigation system that is satellite connected not IPHONE CONNECTED. But what if my car doesn’t come with that? Well, there are two options;
As your parents might tell you, BACK IN THEIR DAY all they had was maps so time to get comfortable with a piece of paper and a lot of frequent stops to check whether you are going in the right direction. I personally would go for purchasing a navigation system however, like with CarPlay, you are not allowed to connect Bluetooth or CarPlay to this device so make sure this is disabled on the device.
Honestly, if you really want to eliminate your chances of getting caught using your phone. Turn off the Bluetooth on your device, put your phone on silent and chuck it in the backseat or in the glovebox.
STATISTICS TIME!!!
Between 2017 and 2021, there were 109 casualty crashes involving a driver using a handheld mobile phone, resulting in 13 deaths and 163 injuries. So do your part and put it away, it’s really not worth it.
SPEEEEED LIMIT!
Sorry to say P1 drivers but you guys are still limited to a maximum speed of 90km/h, which when you think about is FAST, so be grateful because after all it could always be worse, and you could be restricted to only going 40km/h.
A fun fact a lot of people don’t realise but is a subtle benefit of having your greens P’s is being allowed to go 100km/hour so do what you will with that.
Time to listen up TRADIES!!!
For you red p-plater tradies, you are only permitted to tow a maximum limit of 250kg whereas GREEN p-platers are subjected to standard laws which states that the total weight (vehicle and trailer) cannot exceed 4.5 tonnes.
In conclusion, your license is a privilege, don’t take it for granted.
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