I have recently endured (survived?) 120 hours of “L plate” driving with my teenage daughter who (remarkably) passed her driving test at first attempt.

In NSW the driving test is booked online and you receive an automated email response from the Road and Traffic Authority which sets out the requirements for the big day. I don’t have a problem with some of those matters (e.g. applicant must supply an appropriate test vehicle for the class of licence for which they are being tested, the L plates must be displayed and the vehicle must not be defective). However, it is also a requirement that the vehicle not be:

1. an armoured security vehicle;
2. a vehicle that carries dangerous goods;
3. a federal interstate registered vehicle;
4. a vehicle with trade plates attached;
5. a vehicle carrying livestock [obviously a big problem in rural areas];
6. a bus carrying passengers;
7. a vehicle without a reverse gear (except a motorcycle); or
8. any heavy vehicle fitted with dual accelerator or a dual sterring wheel (i.e. road sweepers, garbage trucks, etc).

I am having trouble getting images of armoured cars or garbage trucks with L plates out of my mind….

Creative commons acknowledgment for the photograph.