Question: I have been told that if my child leaves her N or L on the car and the police pull me over I can receive a ticket for having a new driver sign displayed when I am not a new driver. Is this true?
Don't Worry About It
No, it's not true. The offence is in being a new driver without the required new driver sign, not an experienced driver with a GLP driver sign displayed.
Requirement for New Driver Sign
Division 30.10 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations sets out the requirements for displaying a new driver sign. Drivers with a class 7, 7L, 8 or 8L are required to display the L or the N sign as appropriate.
This also makes it an offence to fail to display the sign. A ticket for $109 could be issued by police. No penalty points are assessed.
These drivers will also have a condition attached to their licence requiring the display of a new driver sign. Section 25(15) of the Motor Vehicle Act creates the offence of failing to comply with conditions of licence. The penalty here is $109 and carries 3 penalty points.
Class 5 Learner
A learner driver with a class 5L is not mentioned in Division 30 nor will have a driver's licence restriction requiring a new driver sign.
Other Licence Classes
There is no rule in the Act or the Regulations that would forbid the display of a new driver sign by a driver that is not required to.
Theft of New Driver Sign
Leaving the sign in place exposes it to being stolen. This was a common excuse when I stopped a new driver without a sign and I wonder how big the risk really was.
L Sign on Vehicle with One Person Inside
I can say that if you leave an L on the back and you are the only one in the vehicle you will attract attention. Not all learner drivers are teenagers!
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