ONLINE LEARNER TEST ‘OVERDUE’
ASPIRING drivers will no longer have to wait months to sit their learner driver permit test.
From next month, they will be able to take the online test from home.
The state government revealed on Tuesday that the new program would be rolled out across the state by the end of June, with people in Colac already able to sit the test online.
Geelong driving instructor Craig Waters welcomed the announcement, which he said was “long overdue”.
“This will revolutionise testing, it will change the waiting times and it will significantly decrease parental costs of taking time off work and change the amount of time people have to take off school,” he said.
“It is years overdue — we have the internet and we are still going to a government office to do an online test.”
It comes after thousands of people wanting to sit their learner permit testing or the P-plate test had appointments cancelled last year amid coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
When appointments were reopened some people had to wait up to three months to sit a test.
The new online test takes learners through a course that includes a mix of theory, interactive videos and visual graphics before the assessment.
It aims to reinforce key road safety messages through mini-quizzes to progressively test learners’ knowledge in modules such as speed, drink and drug driving, seatbelts, fatigue, distractions and road rules.
When the online course and assessment has been successfully completed, learner drivers need to attend a VicRoads Customer Service Centre to confirm their identity, have their photo taken and complete an eyesight check, but this process does not require an appointment.