Phone rules, fatigue and distraction for NSW drivers

Phone rules on L and P plates

The phone rules for new drivers are the strictest in NSW, and the DKT checks the details.

• Learner, P1 and P2: no phone use at all while driving, hands-free and Bluetooth included.
• Sitting at a red light still counts as driving, so the ban still applies.
• Use is allowed once you are properly parked, clear of moving traffic.
• Tapping a phone wallet to pay while stationary at a drive-through window or in a car park is allowed.
• A phone offence carries enough demerit points to suspend a learner or P1 licence, and double demerits apply in holiday periods.

Green P2 drivers are inside the full ban too. Bluetooth calls only open up on a full licence.

Phone rules for full licence holders

Once you hold a full licence the rules relax a little, but some bans apply to every driver.

• Calls and audio are allowed by Bluetooth without touching the phone.
• Mounted in a commercially made holder fixed to the car, the phone may be used for calls, audio and navigation. Maps on a phone lying loose on the seat are not allowed.
• Nobody may hold a phone, or have it resting on their lap or body, while driving.
• Texts, emails, social media and video are off limits to every driver, even while waiting at a red light.
• Any screen playing video has to be out of the driver's sight, apart from aids such as navigation or a reversing camera.
• Even a legal hands-free call can pull your mind off the road.

Spotting fatigue

Tiredness creeps up slowly and is easy to underestimate.

• Warning signs: constant yawning, heavy eyelids and sore eyes, wandering across your lane, clipping the edge rumble strip, or missing a sign or exit.
• Danger times: the late night hours, the very early morning and the middle of the afternoon.
• After about 17 hours awake, your driving can suffer roughly as much as at a BAC of 0.05.
• A microsleep is a few seconds asleep, often unnoticed. At 100 km/h, every one of those seconds carries you about 28 metres with nobody steering.

What actually beats tiredness

Only rest fixes fatigue. Everything else just delays it.

• Sleep well before a long drive or an early start.
• Plan a break at least every two hours.
• Share the driving with another fully licensed driver.
• Time long journeys so most of the driving happens in daylight.
• If you feel drowsy, pull over somewhere safe for a 15 to 20 minute nap.
• After a long night shift, sleep first or find another way home.

Coffee and energy drinks mask tiredness for a while, and when they wear off it can return suddenly.

Other distractions in the car

Anything that takes your eyes, hands or mind off driving raises your crash risk.

• Set navigation and music before you move off.
• At 50 km/h, two seconds of looking away covers about 28 metres.
• Ask noisy passengers to keep it down, and pull over if you need to.
• Eating and reaching for things take your hands and attention away, and no person or animal may sit in your lap.
• After an upsetting argument, take a few minutes to settle before driving.
• Medicine labelled as causing drowsiness, including some hay fever tablets, can leave you as impaired as a sleepless night.