P-plate drivers in NSW will be banned from using mobile phones, even in hands-free mode, and if caught speeding they will have to wait longer to get their full licences under a crackdown designed to save young lives.
The changes announced on Sunday also include the scrapping of the Driver Qualification Test, which is a current requirement for P2 licence-holders to graduate to a full licence.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay said 21 young people had died in crashes involving P-plate drivers in NSW already this year.
"That is more than a rugby team," he told Fairfax Media.
Under the changes, the Hazard Perception Test that P1 drivers must pass under the current scheme to progress to a P2 licence will be brought forward.
Drivers will now be required to pass that test before they can be awarded their P-plates and begin driving solo.
P-platers will also be held back from progressing to an unrestricted licence by six months every time they receive a licence suspension for risky driving.
That tenure extension will not apply if the suspension is not related to a road offence, such as defaulting on a fine.
Most of the measures are set to come into place in November 2017, but the crackdown on mobile phone use will begin this year.
Currently, P2 licence-holders may use mobile phones for calls and audio only, provided the phone is securely mounted or an automated audio device is used.
But from December, P-platers will no longer be permitted to use a mobile phone at all while driving or riding.
