Licensing, Registration and Road Safety Responsibilities
Licences and learner or provisional conditions
Queensland uses a graduated licensing system: learner, provisional, then open licence. Learners must display L plates, be accompanied by a supervising driver who holds the appropriate licence, and comply with logbook and zero-alcohol requirements. Provisional drivers display P plates and face restrictions on passenger numbers, late-night driving, and mobile phone use, with a zero alcohol limit. Demerit points accumulate, and exceeding the limit results in suspension or a good-driving-behaviour period.
Registration and vehicle standards
A vehicle must be registered and insured with compulsory third party insurance to be driven on the road. Registration must be renewed, and the vehicle must be roadworthy: tyres with legal tread, working lights, brakes, and seatbelts. Registration stickers and plates must be displayed as required. Driving an unregistered or uninsured vehicle attracts penalties, and the owner can be liable where the vehicle is driven by another person.
Responsibilities and traps
- Every occupant must wear a seatbelt where fitted, and the driver is responsible for ensuring passengers under 16 are restrained.
- You must carry your licence when driving and produce it on request.
- Report a crash involving injury, or where a vehicle must be towed, to police.
- Do not drive while your licence is suspended; it is a serious offence.
- Demerit points attach to the driver, not the vehicle owner, but fines may go to the registered operator.
Worked example
A provisional driver is caught using a hand-held phone. The penalty includes demerit points and a fine, and because provisional drivers have a lower demerit threshold, accumulating points can lead to suspension. The lesson: licence conditions and demerit limits are tested as practical facts, so know your own stage's rules.