- Published:
- Friday 20 December 2024
The Allan Labor Government is helping busy families with the cost of living – and the cost of learning to drive – by funding a new, free program for learner drivers and supervisors.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne today announced the start of myLearners Free Lesson, a free 60 minute in-car session designed to help parents confidently guide young drivers.
The session will be delivered by an accredited driving instructor to teach learner drivers essential road safety skills and help supervising drivers gain the confidence to support their learners to complete their 120 hours.
The initiative is expected to support around 15,000 families.
The Labor Government is also making the training and accreditation free for professional driving instructors to become accredited to deliver this program.
Victorian learner permit holders aged 16 to 19 – who have completed 10 to 30 hours of driving practice and have a fully licensed supervising driver available to attend the lesson with them – will be eligible to participate.
The course is targeted at young drivers as this cohort is almost four times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than more experienced drivers in their first year of driving on their Ps.
The myLearners Free Lesson is another way the Labor Government is helping learners develop safe driving habits, with Victoria's world-class Graduated Licensing System reducing fatal and serious crashes among young drivers by more than 40 per cent since its introduction in 2007.
It is just one cost-of-living measure the Labor Government is delivering for drivers, including free rego for tradies, a 25 per cent discount on rego renewal fees for safe drivers, and free learner lessons for disadvantaged new drivers.
Registrations for the myLearners Free Lesson are now open. To book your free lesson or learn more about becoming an accredited driving instructor, visit mylearnersdrive.com.au.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne
“A single professional lesson can cost up to $100 – we’re putting that money back in the pockets of busy families and giving young Victorians the skills they need to be safe on the road.”
“Teaching your kid to drive is a right of passage – but it also comes with worries. Every parent wants to make sure that their kids will be safe when they hop behind the wheel, and this free lesson will help them do just that.”