All supervised driver licence tests in the ACT have been suspended, adding to the uncertainty for hundreds of drivers close to or at their provisional licence achievement level.
The less costly option of a parent teaching a child to drive using a log book and then the learner sitting a test with an ACT government supervisor is no longer available under COVID-19 health restrictions, meaning all learners have to use the expensive log-book competency based system using driver trainers.
However, the ACT government has extended the period for which learner licences are valid. The extensions are free, are for 12 months and apply to learner licences expiring between 23 March 2020 and 1 January 2021.
Since January 1 this year, learner drivers have had two additional online training courses added to their requirement and which count as "required driving hours". These include the vulnerable road user program and the safer driver course.
Most accredited driver trainers in the ACT are continuing to operate on a "day-by-day" basis under the health restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, and are closely watching public announcements as to whether they will continue to be seen as an essential service.
While the traditional supervised test is suspended, the government is well aware that any suspension of training using accredited instructors would have hugely disruptive effects, and is adamant that it won't happen.
A 17-year-old learner driver in Victoria was handed a $1652 on-the-spot fine for breaching coronavirus regulations on the weekend when she drove with her mother.
The fine has since been revoked after Victorian Deputy Police Commissioner Shane Patton intervened, telling a Melbourne radio station that "we [police] will withdraw it because clearly that wasn't widely understood by the public".
He added, however, that "undertaking a driving lesson by itself, to go out and simply drive off somewhere to undertake a driving lesson with your parent - you are not able to do it".
The tough Victorian approach to driver training highlights the stark differences between state and territory government rulings on health regulation breaches.
On Tuesday, ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said it was "absolutely essential" that learner drivers be "out and about extensively".
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"There may be some [students] that are very close to meeting their minimum hours necessary to have a driver's licence test, and so we ask people to exercise their judgement as to whether this trip is essential," Mr Barr said.
"ACT Policing have used sound judgement in issuing guidance, educating the community and providing warnings.
"But if the same person in the same household was caught multiple times over the course of days or weeks then you would be getting into the territory of needing to fine them.
"But in the first instance, ACT Policing have adopted a very sensible approach of issuing a warning."
With the ACT government health restrictions closely following those set by neighbouring NSW, clarification was issued by NSW Police on social media on Tuesday as to what constitutes a "reasonable excuse" for travel.
It is defined as "travelling for the purposes of work where you cannot work from home, so driving instructors can leave their house for their work - to teach people how to drive".
"We consider that it would be a reasonable excuse for a person to leave their house to receive driving lessons (either from a driving instructor or a member of their family), given that this is a learning activity that cannot be done from home," NSW Police said.
The clarification described learning to drive as "akin to the listed reasonable excuse of travelling to attend an educational institution where you cannot learn from home".
It went on to state "learner drivers could also continue to drive with a supervising family member for any of the listed reasonable excuses for leaving the house - for example, driving to the supermarket".
The head instructor at one large ACT and NSW driver training school, who did not want himself or his company to be named, said that they were continuing to teach students until advised otherwise, but had cancelled all group instruction, which is about 40 per cent of their business.
He said, however, that there had been some "nasty" comments directed on social media toward driver trainers continuing to operate given the strict rules on social distancing and unnecessary travel.
The deputy president of the ACT branch of the Australian Driver Training Association, Michael Kuchel, said he was talking to his fellow committee members on a daily basis about the situation.
"The decision on whether to operate is essentially one for each of the companies involved, and for the individual driver trainers," he said.
"I know that some trainers have stopped working because of the health risk.
"But we have sought guidance on this from Access Canberra and the current advice is that we can still operate provided we take all the reasonable precautions such as correctly ventilating and sanitising the car."
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or the federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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