VIC learner permit test mobile phones and distraction practice questions

Question 1

May a learner permit holder in Victoria use a mobile phone while driving?

• Yes, if it is in a cradle
• Yes, if it is hands free
• Yes, for navigation only
• No, learner drivers must not use a phone at all while drivingCorrect answer

Learner and probationary drivers in Victoria cannot use a mobile phone in any way while driving, including hands free and navigation.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: mobile phones

Question 2

How may a fully licensed driver legally use a mobile phone for a call?

• Secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle, or fully hands freeCorrect answer
• Resting on their lap
• Held in one hand while the other is on the wheel
• Held against the shoulder

A full licence holder may take a call only when the phone is in a proper cradle or operated hands free, never held.

Rule cited: Australian Road Rules r 300, as adopted in Victoria

Question 3

You are stopped at a red light with the engine running. Can you pick up your phone to reply to a message?

• Yes, if the message is urgent
• No, you are still driving for the purposes of the phone rulesCorrect answer
• Yes, if the handbrake is on
• Yes, the vehicle is not moving

Being stopped in traffic is not the same as being parked. To use your phone you must be parked legally with the engine off or in a place where stopping is allowed.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: mobile phones

Question 4

Your passenger is holding a phone and reading directions from it while you drive. Is that allowed?

• Yes, a passenger may hold and operate a phoneCorrect answer
• No, the passenger commits the same offence as a driver would
• Only if the driver holds a full licence
• Only if the phone is on speaker

The phone rules apply to the person driving. You still must not take the phone, look at its screen, or let the conversation pull your attention off the road.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: mobile phones

Question 5

When should you enter a destination into a navigation app?

• At the first red light on the way
• Before you start driving, or after you have parked somewhere legalCorrect answer
• Whenever traffic is slow enough to look down
• Only once you have joined a freeway

Typing a destination takes your eyes and mind off the road for a long time. Set it before you move off, and pull over legally if it needs changing.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: distraction and navigation devices

Question 6

You want to change what is playing on the stereo while you drive. What is the safest choice?

• Glance down only briefly, even at highway speed
• Do it quickly so your eyes are away for less time
• Set it up before you leave, or ask a passenger to handle itCorrect answer
• Use the touchscreen at every red light instead

Touchscreens take longer to operate than buttons because they give no feel. Sort out music and climate settings before you start moving.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: distraction inside the vehicle

Question 7

Is it a good idea to drive while wearing headphones over both ears?

• Yes, because they block out distracting road noise
• Yes, as long as the volume is low
• Yes, provided the headphones are wireless
• No, they cut you off from sirens, horns and the sounds your own vehicle makesCorrect answer

Hearing is part of how you build a picture of what is around you. An approaching siren or a warning horn often reaches you before anything appears in a mirror.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: distraction and awareness

Question 8

You realise you have driven several kilometres with no memory of the road you just covered. What does that suggest?

• Your attention has drifted, and you should stop and take a breakCorrect answer
• You are a relaxed and experienced driver
• Your vehicle is due for a service
• The road was simply not interesting enough to remember

Losing track of the last few minutes is a sign of fatigue or a wandering mind. Pull over somewhere safe, move around, and restart when you are alert.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: concentration and fatigue

Question 9

A message arrives on your phone while you are driving alone and you feel you have to read it. What should you do?

• Read it at the next red light
• Leave it until you have parked somewhere legal and safeCorrect answer
• Read it while keeping one hand on the wheel
• Ask a driver alongside you to read it out

Nothing arriving on a phone is worth a crash. Stopping in traffic is not parking, so the message waits until you are properly parked.

Rule cited: Road to Solo Driving handbook (Victoria), topic: mobile phones