Yes, getting your driver's licence is exciting, but learning to drive needs time and practice so you can become a safe driver. You can start learning, now.

Think about safety

Driving is one of the riskiest daily activities that you'll do so, preparing yourself and your vehicle is vital.

Drivers under the age of 25 are more likely to be involved in a road crash. Read the Safe Driving tips for young drivers section to find out why and how to be prepared.

Enrol in myLs where you’ll be guided through the attitudes and behaviours that make for a safe driver.

Alternatively, you can read the Driver's Handbook…. especially the section on road safety, which explains your responsibilities as a driver.

Know and follow the rules

Road rules are about care and courtesy so we can all share the road safely.  The first thing you’ll need to do is enrol in myLs to learn all about the road rules.  Or, if myLs is not for you and you prefer to do the in-office test, you can prepare for the test by learning the road rules.

Car Safety

One of the smartest decisions you can make is driving the safest car possible. Go to the Car Safety section of this website.

Heads up!

Choose an ANCAP 5-star safety rated vehicle.

Be prepared to respond in a crash (applying First Aid)

An important question to ask yourself as part of your licensing journey is “do I know how to respond in a crash and assist with First Aid?”

You might find yourself in a situation where there is a vehicle crash or incident and there is a need to provide assistance before professional medical help arrives.

St John Ambulance has developed an online first aid training program that gives learner drivers First Aid skills that can be applied before paramedic care arrives.

The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete and covers the most critical skills needed including basic life support, how to treat wounds and stop bleeding.

Completing this course does not provide any formal First Aid certification but it will help improve your First Aid knowledge and give you the confidence to assist with First Aid should it be needed.

You can access the course through the Driver First Aid website.

Getting (and keeping) your licence

You need to work through a series of stages in the process of getting your driver's licence.

Drive according to your licence conditions and the road rules, and you keep it.  You'll get a fine, gain demerit points or be disqualified and lose it if you don't.

The licensing process is:

• your learner's permit
• two provisional licence stages (P1 and P2)
• then your full licence.

Check out the whole process of the Graduated Licensing Scheme.

Before you can drive, learn the road rules... and the earlier the better.

Heads up!

Have you heard about myLs? (Watch a demo here)

Enrol in myLs - the online interactive learning and assessment course and learner theory test all in one. The minimum enrolment age for myLs is 15 years and 9 months.

myLs is designed to improve learner driver education.  The course focuses on road rules, road safety, and driver attitudes and behaviours, giving new drivers the best possible start before they get behind the wheel.

Ask a driver questions about the road rules... and practise what should happen when those moments occur.

When you're a passenger in the car, notice what your driver and other drivers do. This is a great time to observe the defensive driving skills of others on the road.

If myLs is not for you and you prefer to do the in-office test, learn the road rules in the Drivers Handbook and Practise the Theory Test

Bottom line. It's driver courtesy and care that makes our roads safer and reduces the risk of crashes.

First step. Getting your learner's permit.
You'll need to pass a Theory Test based on the road rules in South Australia  before being issued with a learner's permit.

There's a couple of ways to do this.

1. From the age of 15 years and 9 months you can enrol in 'myLs', an online interactive learning and assessment course and theory test in one. The course takes around 4 hours to complete and you can then attempt the theory test as the final stage of the course. You can even re-attempt the theory test (again and again!) if necessary, at no extra cost.

OR

2. You can still sit the in-office theory test conducted at Service SA Centres. You'll need to book a time to take the test and pay the test fee. Just remember, you need to be 16 years or older to sit the test and if you don't pass, you'll need to pay the fee again to retake the test.

myLs

What is myLs?

myLs is an online interactive learning and assessment course that you can take to get your learner's permit in South Australia.

Designed to improve learner driver education, the myLs course focuses on road rules, road safety, and driver attitudes and behaviours, giving new drivers the best possible start before they get behind the wheel.

Assessment is embedded throughout the course in the form of quizzes, activities, and challenges. As you progress through the course, you’ll be taught all you need to know in preparation for the learner theory test.

The learner theory test is the final stage of the myLs course. Unlike the learner theory test conducted at Service SA Centres, the learner theory test in myLs can be attempted as many times as you need to pass at no additional cost.

Interested? Visit mylicence.sa.gov.au/myLs to find out more.

The Driver’s Handbook is a very useful tool and provides comprehensive detail on all aspects of driving, learning to drive, the road rules, road safety advice as well as information on driver licences and vehicles.

The Driver’s Handbook is on sale at Service SA Centres and selected newsagents for $10.

Click here to read or download The Driver's Handbook

Heads up!

If you’re considering the myLs course, the content within the Driver’s Handbook is covered in myLs and all the test questions are derived from this content, meaning you don’t need to have studied the Driver’s Handbook if you’re looking to do myLs.

Road safety. Know all the road risks, how to be prepared and better still, how to manage them.

Road rules. Speed limits, traffic lights, road signs, when to give way plus more rules... all explained.

Drivers & licences. Your driver's licence or permit must be current, appropriate for the vehicle you're driving and carried with you.

Vehicles & registrations. Get your head right around vehicle registration, Compulsory Third Party insurance and other private vehicle insurance options.

While myLs offers many benefits over the in-office test conducted at Service SA Centres, the option to sit your learner theory test at Service SA is still available.

You'll be asked questions on important road rules and safety. Study up, because each attempt to pass the theory test incurs a fee. If you fail you can retry, but it will cost you again. You must pass to get your learner's permit.

Practise the learner theory test here.

The test has two parts;
Part A - Give Way diagrams. Eight diagram questions where you decide which vehicle or pedestrian is required to give way in each diagram. And all eight questions must be answered correctly before you can try Part B.
Part B - Multiple choice. Answer 42 multiple choice questions on the road rules and safety.

Heads up!

To pass the learner theory test you must get all 8 give-way questions right... and at least 32 of the 42 multiple-choice questions.

By comparison the myLs learner theory test asks 30 questions, requiring 27 correct answers to pass.

Book your Theory Test

You can attempt the Theory Test at the following locations:

• Service SA Customer Service Centres (except Regency Park)
• most remote country police stations

At a Service SA Customer Service Centre you can sit the test between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; OR Wednesday between 9:30 am and 4:00 pm (except public holidays).

At Elizabeth and Marion Customer Service Centres you can sit the theory test until 5:00 pm.

For licence theory tests at Service SA bookings and prepayment are required.  Theory tests cannot be undertaken at Regency Park.

Telephone 13 10 84 for further information or to book your test.  

At Service SA the test is provided on a computer screen or as a written test.  At remote country police stations you will be given a written test.

The test may take 30 minutes or more to complete.

Heads up!

Make sure you bring these with you:

• evidence of identity that verifies your identity, age, signature and residential address - further information
• the fee for your learner's permit
• a medical certificate (if you have a medical condition that affects your driving.

Remember, to sit the licence theory test at Service SA Customer Service Centres you must book and pay for your test in advance.

Your photo will be taken before you sit the test.

If sitting the test at a remote country police station you will need to take payment for the test with you.

Please telephone 13 10 84 for more information.

If you pass

If you pass, you can apply for your learner's permit, on the spot.

You will receive a temporary permit.

A fee applies for your learner's permit.

Your photo learner's permit will be posted to you and is valid for two years.