Regression
- What is regression?
- When will a novice driver or rider be regressed?
- Will full licences be regressed?
- What happens when your Car licence is regressed?
- What happens when your motorcycle licence is regressed?
- What happens to light-rigid licence class (or higher) on regression?
- What happens if I hold an Ancillary Certificate and my licence reverts to a P1?
- Why such harsh penalties for learners and provisionals?
28. What is regression?
Regression is the process by which a person who holds a licence in a particular stage (L1, L2, P1 or P2) is, as a result of losing their licence twice in any 6-month period or twice while in the same licensing stage, required to move back to the previous licensing stage, e.g. if you hold a P2 licence you may be regressed back to a P1, a P1 may be regressed to a L2, a L2 may be regressed to an L1 and a L1 may be regressed to no licence.
29. When will a novice driver or rider be regressed?
A novice driver or rider will be regressed to the previous licensing stage for losing their licence twice while on the same licensing stage, or for a second time within any six-month period - and any licence they do hold will be cancelled.
- This means a person will be regressed if he or she incurs:
- a period of disqualification from driving;
- a period of licence suspension under the demerit points scheme; and/or
- a period of ineligibility to hold a licence under that scheme; twice while on the same licensing stage, or for a second time within any six-month period.
- A person in the P2 stage will regress to the P1 stage
- A person in the P1 stage will regress to the L2 stage
- A person in the L2 stage will regress to the L1 stage
- A person in the L1 stage becomes ineligible to hold a licence for a period of three months beyond any period of disqualification, suspension or cancellation.
30. Will full licences be regressed?
No. Full licence will not be subject to the same regression as novice car and rider licences.
The Registrar of Motor Vehicles has authority to determine what type of licence is issued following any period of disqualification under the suitability guidelines for holding a licence. Under this legislation a full licence holder may be issued a licence of a lower class than that held at the time of disqualification if the Registrar determines this is appropriate.
31. What happens when your car licence is regressed?
A
32. What happens when your motorcycle licence is regressed?
33. What happens to light-rigid licence class (or higher) on regression?
If you are regressed from P2 to P1 you will not automatically continue to hold the heavy vehicle licence class, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles may consider the fact of regression as an indication that you are no longer a suitable person to continue to hold the heavy vehicle licence class, and may remove it.
The heavy vehicle licence class will be removed if you are regressed from the P1 stage to the L2 stage. The heavy vehicle licence class may be re-issued upon you re-obtaining a P1 licence.
The heavy vehicle licence class will also be removed if you are regressed and you were issued a heavy vehicle licence class under an exemption which has been granted from the usual age and experience eligibility requirements.
34. What happens if I hold an Ancillary Certificate and my licence reverts to a P1?
The Ancillary Certificate will be cancelled at the same time as your licence is cancelled. To get your Ancillary Certificate back you will need to reapply for it.
35. Why such harsh penalties for learners and provisionals?
Assessing a novice drivers development throughout the learning process helps to motivate them to develop safe driving practices and guides their learning process so they develop basic car skills (such as steering and manoeuvres), before focusing on higher order skill development such as decision making, hazard perception, hazard identification and responsiveness.
Research confirms that young drivers with a multiple offence history have a higher involvement in road crashes. In the five years to 2006, more than half of all provisional drivers had at least one driving offence against their record.
Tougher penalties for provisionals target unsafe behavior and prolong the time spent under novice licence conditions.
The prospect of delaying progress to a full licence should encourage good driving practices and compliance with road rules.
