L-Platers, Here’s How to Build Up Your Logbook Hours During COVID-19

Buckle up for some serious advice.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused federal and state governments to enforce a lot of strict new measures to make sure that everyone in our communities are accurately social-distancing, so that we can do our best to reduce the spread of the virus.

Most state governments have imposed fines and punishments for those who break quarantine, isolation or social distancing guidelines, and right now, we’re starting to see how serious police and state governments really are.

If you’re keeping up to date with all of the coronavirus drama, you may have heard that a learner driver in Victoria was issued a $1,600 fine for 'non-essential' travel, while she was trying to build up the hours in her logbook.

According to 9News, seventeen-year-old Hunter Reynolds and her mother were pulled over by police in Frankston, Victoria and given an on-the-spot fine for breaching stage-three coronavirus restrictions.

While the fine has since been withdrawn, there has been a lot of mixed responses by social media users, some claiming the ruling was unfair and that a warning would have sufficed, while others think the punishment is just.

No, it’s not essential for a 17yo in April 2020. They can wait, or they could use some common sense and not go for a joyride 40km away from home. Stay local, drive around your own suburb a few times, if you get pulled over, say you’re going to Coles or Maccas. Pretty simple.
— Dale (@DaleKerr) April 6, 2020

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton stated that, due to the lesson taking place such a large distance away from Ms Reynolds home, it could not be considered 'essential' travel.

"This isn’t driving around the corner, it was driving 40 minutes from Hampton down to the Peninsula Link," he said.

According to Victorian restrictions, residents can only be out of their homes and driving on public roads if it is for essential goods like groceries or activities like medical care.

So, if you’re a learner driver and you want to achieve your P-plates once we are on the other side of this coronavirus pandemic, here’s how you can do it.

According to Victorian police, driving lessons do not count as education under the new coronavirus restrictions, but there are ways to lawfully work around this.

While learner drivers are not permitted to have a 'normal' driving lesson, they can instead drive their parents (or a licensed and permitted passenger) to an essential location or service.

Some examples of these locations include:

grocery stores for essential goods;
restaurants for take-away food only;
pharmacies and medical centers for medication or medical scripts;
essential workplaces if learner drivers are employed by those services;
essential education facilities where necessary; and
other homes or hospitals to provide essential care or, in extreme cases, emergencies.

Learner drivers should also consider the exact distance that they are driving.

Instead of traveling 30 minutes to a shopping center outside of your area, you should just drive to your local complex. It may save you from copping a fine.

As always, make sure you are following the road rules and speed limit, and displaying your L-Plates appropriately for other drivers on the road.

Keep in mind that all states and territories have different rules and fines regarding non-essential travel, coronavirus and driver requirements, so if you’re unsure, double check with your state governments guidelines.

For example, NSW police have stated that learner drivers should be given an exception as the learning activity cannot be done from home.

While this is really frustrating for learner drivers, and it may take you a little bit longer to achieve your permit, try to keep in mind that this is the best way to keep everyone safe while we battle this pandemic.

Don’t worry, you will get your license… eventually!