P-Plates
When driving around in Australia you might notice many cars with plates attached, showing a red or green P or a yellow L. Since the drivers of these cars are normally fairly young drivers and many don’t show the way of driving you expect, you might think the P stands for ‘Proceed with caution‘.
Restrictions on provisional/probationary drivers
But it actually shows that the driver is on a provisional/probationary licence (or learner’s licence) and carries restrictions. It also indicates other drivers this is an inexperienced driver, and they should make allowances for him.
In reality P-Platers also seem to get a bad name because the P-Plate is easily identifiable and memorable. A prejudice is, if one sees a P-Plater on the road one might expect they will engage in some form of hooning. Some drivers will even target P-Platers.
Also, since P-platers have more restrictions than other drivers, a P-Plate makes it easier for police to enforce the law.
Only a few other countries have a sign-system which shows abilities of drivers
Australia is one of very few countries, where it is compulsory to display P-Plates (or similar plates, like a Japanese shoshinsha mark for new drivers). A new driver holds a Learner licence/permit which has a minimum age of 16 or 15 and 9 months in some areas. This must then be held for a certain amount of time before a driving examination can be undertaken usually 12 months later. The driver must display ‘P’ plates after he passed the test.
Holders of a provisional/probationary licence may be restricted compared to fully licensed drivers in speed, blood alcohol limits, limits on the type and power of their car’s engine (i.e., no more than 6 cylinders, no forced induction), and number of demerit points that can be accrued. Typically, a single serious traffic offence is sufficient to lead to a licence suspension.
While P plate laws in Australia vary by state and territory, there are a few restrictions that apply to provisional drivers throughout Australia:
- A requirement that all provisional licence holders must maintain a 0% blood alcohol level whenever operating a vehicle
- P-plate drivers are required to have their provisional licences on their person whenever driving, and display these to authorities on request
- During the first stage of provisional licensing (P1), or where provisional licensing is not split into two stages, novice drivers are required to prominently display red and white P plates on or in their vehicles
Different rules in all states and territories
So if a P-Plater wants to drive across the several states, he is better to know the different “must” and “must nots” for P-Platers, since they can vary quite a bit. And not knowing may result in fine, even if you are from another state …
For example, already the required design of the Plates to be displayed deviates from state to state.
| L | P1 | P2 | |
| ACT | A black letter L on a yellow background | White letter P on a red background | White letter P on a green background |
| NSW | Black L on an orange/yellow background | Red P on a white background | Green P on a white background |
| QLD | 14.6cm x 14.6cm, with a black uppercase letter ‘L’ on a yellow background | 14.6cm x 14.6cm, with a red uppercase letter ‘P’ on a clear white background | 14.6cm x 14.6cm, with a green uppercase letter ‘P’ on a clear white background |
| SA | 14.5cm x 14.5cm, the letter L printed in black on a yellow background | 14.5cm x 14.5cm, with the letter P printed in red on a white background | no plates for P2 |
| VIC | 15 cm x 15cm, bearing a black letter L on a yellow background | 15 cm x 15cm, white letter P on a clear red background | 15 cm x 15cm, white letter P on a clear green background |
| WA | A black letter L on a yellow background | White letter P on a red background | White letter P on a green background |