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AI-written articles from overseas sources have gone viral online with false information about P-plate law changes in Australia.
Newly licensed Australians have been targeted in viral AI-generated content claiming extensive law changes are coming for all P-plate drivers.
Articles from overseas sources – which appear to use generative artificial intelligence content – have received attention with false claims the Albanese Labor Government will immediately change P-plate laws.
One Australian TikTok user, @perfnic, has accumulated over 1.5 million views and 150,000 likes on their video claiming the false information as fact.
The Federal Government is not responsible for creating or amending road laws, with each state and territory in Australia having its own rules, including those applicable to provisional licence holders.
The false claims made in articles viewed by Drive include an extension for red P1 drivers across Australia to 18 months, a curfew between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am, a GPS navigation and hands-free mobile phone ban for all P-platers, and a 150-hour requirement for learner drivers.
It is also falsely claimed that fines and demerit points for certain offences would be increased for P-plate drivers caught doing the wrong thing.
Western Australia was the most recent state to announce actual changes to its P-plate laws, with a one-passenger limit for red P-plate drivers introduced from December 1, 2024, similar to existing rules in other states.
P1 drivers in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania were already limited to driving with no more than one passenger aged between 16 and 20, or 16 and 21, with some exceptions, while the rule applies in NSW, Queensland and the ACT between 11:00 pm and 5:00 am.
A curfew between midnight and 5:00 am applies to P1 drivers in Western Australia and South Australia, which applies for the first six and 12 months after receiving their licence, respectively – but not in any other state or territory.
Each state and territory has unique laws regarding mobile phone usage for P-plate drivers, among other rule differences, such as restrictions on driving certain vehicles in some jurisdictions but not others, and at what age learner drivers can graduate to a provisional licence.
For instance, green P2 licence holders in Queensland are permitted to make hands-free phone calls – but not P1 drivers – while all P-platers in New South Wales must not use a mobile phone for any purpose, including Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or Bluetooth for music and navigation.
Penalties for breaking the law are also determined by each state and territory.
Basic road rules are set out in the National Transport Commission's Australian Road Rules model law, but each Australian state and territory must copy the rules into their own legislation, which can differ.
The Australian Road Rules model law provides no national guidance on restrictions for P-plate drivers.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
