Imagine if they had to get around casettes in the car!!!
New Victorian drivers will have to be parked to change a song under road rules set to come into effect next month.
The changes are aimed at reducing potentially deadly incidents, with government statistics showing distraction is involved in at least 11 per cent of road fatalities.
The rules will come into effect from March 31 and will bring Victoria into line with a number of other jurisdictions across the country.
But since they’ve been announced, there’s also been some confusion about how they will be enforced.
Here’s what we know.
P-platers and L-platers won’t be able to make calls or change songs while driving
Put simply, learner and probationary drivers are not allowed to touch any phone, tablet or smart device while operating a vehicle on the road.
The limited exceptions relate to mounted devices and navigation or entertainment systems built into the car.
Once a phone or navigation device is mounted, it will still only be able to be used for navigation or playing audio which is set up before the vehicle gets going.
“You must pull over and park to change a song or enter a different address,” the VicRoads explanation says.
Voice controls cannot be used for any device, including those which are mounted, in-built or wearable, if you’re on your Ls or Ps.
Taking or making any phone calls is banned, even if you’re using voice controls.
Drivers can briefly touch in-built systems “to adjust navigation settings, climate controls and audio functions”.
