As of 1 December 2024, the State of WA introduced new legislation prohibiting red P-plate drivers from having more than one passenger in their vehicle. These new laws apply to all existing and future Red P-platers.
The new legislation is brought about from the tragic incident in 2021 where two teenage boys lost their lives when an overloaded car, crashed into a tree. Since the accident, the boys’ families have been pushing for tighter rules for new drivers, prone being to accidents.
According to the WA Road Fatalities and Serious Injuries Report 2023, young WA drivers aged 17-19 have the highest rates of killed or seriously injured persons compared to other age groups.
Exemptions
While the legislation is there to prevent future incidents there are three exemptions:
Exemption 1
- P-platers are still able to drive with 3 immediate family members and one additional passenger.
- These family members include spouse, de facto partner, child, stepchild, grandchild, step-grandchild, grandparent and step-grandparent.
Exemption 2
- The red p-plater is travelling with a passenger who has held a full c-class licence for at least four years. This passenger can be in addition to another passenger.
Exemption 3
- The red p-plater needs additional passengers due to their employment. This is exempt only if the driver is needed to ferry passengers around.
- If this is the case, the driver is required to obtain a letter from their employer to present to WA police upon request. A template for the letter can be found on the DOT website.
If Red P-plater drivers don’t follow the new passenger restrictions, they will incur a $200 fine and a loss of two demerit points. In addition to the new legislation, Red P-platers will still have a curfew between midnight and 5am.
This new legislation aims to help prevent fatal crashes for novice drivers and help keep WA roads safer.
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