There are 7 Things you should know about the Safer Drivers Course. The Safer Drivers Course has been specifically designed by road safety and education experts to help learner drivers transition to driving solo. Obviously there is a big difference between learning to drive under the supervision of a licensed driver and actually driving on your own.
Research has proven that it is the first six months of driving solo as a provisional driver that is the most dangerous. As a result of this a team of road safety professionals looked at ways to reduce the road toll and assist new drivers to driver safely. The most common causes of car crashes amongst younger drivers was identified. Then the Safer Driver Course to focus on the main contributing factors in car crashes for younger drivers.
Consequently this course does not focus on helping you pass the driving test. Instead it is primarily concerned with helping you to become a safer driver. As the course is offered by many providers throughout the great state of NSW some details may vary depending on your location. Therefore you may need to confirm details with individual providers in your local area.
What you need to have in order to qualify for this course.
Transport for NSW requires all participants in the Safer Driver Course to:
The safer driver course consists of 2 module. Module 1 must be completed before you can do Module 2. You need to complete both modules to get the 20 bonus hours credited to your log book.
The Safer Driver Course is a 5 hour course consisting of 2 modules. Module 1 is a 3 hour class and module 2 is a 2 hour in car drive.
All providers will have a break between module 1 and module 2. The length of the gap will vary from provider to provider, with most providers having a minimum of 15 minutes to 30 minutes break between modules.
Not all providers will offer all students module 2 coaching on the same day. Therefore you may not be able to complete the course on the same day. As such you should find out if you can do both modules on the same day, or will you need to do different modules on different days.
You need to bring your valid NSW learner license and your log book on the day. The log book must be tallied up with both daily and cumulative totals. All other course materials are provided on the day. The course provider will supply a car fitted with dual controls for you to complete the in car driving component of the course.
Make sure you know when you are scheduled to do the driving component of the course. You make have a long break of 2 or more hours between the theory and practical components of the course. Or you may have to complete the second part of the course on another day.
The first thing to do is make sure your provider is approved by Transport for NSW. Unfortunately some unscrupulous people are not qualified and you will not get the 20 bonus log book hours. In addition you will not learn learn as much and miss out on all of the great knowledge in the course.
Select a driving school that provides driving lessons in your area. As this will increase the chance that you will get a local instructor with local knowledge. You will learn more if your instructor can relate the course material to specific local road conditions.
The safer driver course will cost you $140, which you pay to the course provider. This covers both the theory and practical components of the course.
The NSW Government provides 1,000 free places each year to help young learner drivers from disadvantage backgrounds and Aboriginal communities. This allows those who are financially disadvantage to benefit from the Safer Drivers Course.
To be eligible for a free place you need to:
To apply for a free Safer Drivers Course you will need to contact a course provider and fill in the concession application form. You will also need to supply a copy of your Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card to the course provider.
No you can not fail the course. There is no assessment or pass/fail component to the Safer Drivers Course. Everyone who completes both the Theory and Practical components of the course will receive the 20 Bonus Log Book Hours.