Photo: Arno Kohlem, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Drive Safe: A handbook for Western Australian road users is the official WA road rules book, and the source of the Computerised Theory Test questions. The current edition is dated 5 August 2026 and has seven parts plus an index. This study guide goes part by part, picking out the numbers and rules most worth memorising, so you can focus your reading before the theory test. It doesn’t replace the handbook: read the real thing as well.
Key facts
- Publisher: Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure (DTMI), Driver and Vehicle Services.
- Revised edition date: 5 August 2026. Free PDF on the DTMI website.
- Based mainly on the Road Traffic Code 2000 and the Road Traffic (Vehicles) Regulations 2014. The handbook itself is not the law.
- Parts 1 to 3 hold most of the testable rules.
The seven parts at a glance
| Part | Topic | Study priority for the theory test |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safe driving: speed, alcohol and drugs, seat belts, fatigue, phones, other road users | High |
| 2 | How to get a WA licence: learner, P plates, motorcycle, heavy vehicles | High |
| 3 | Major road rules: speed limits to clearways | Highest |
| 4 | Emergencies and incidents: insurance, emergencies, first aid, powerlines, aggressive drivers | Medium |
| 5 | The law and you: address changes, penalties, demerit points, vehicle equipment, towing | Medium |
| 6 | Cycle safe | Medium |
| 7 | Appendices: licence classes, interstate and overseas licences, proof of identity | Low |
Part 1: Safe driving
- Alcohol: zero BAC for novice drivers (until you have held a licence for 2 years), plus some other groups. 0.05 for all other drivers. One standard drink has 10 grams of alcohol and raises an average person’s BAC by about 0.01.
- Supervisors: must meet the same alcohol and drug limits as if they were driving.
- Fatigue: a micro-sleep lasts 3 to 5 seconds. At 100 km/h you travel over 100 metres in that time. Going 17 to 18 hours without sleep affects your driving like a BAC of 0.05. Take a break at least every 2 hours.
- Anti-hoon laws: racing or burnouts can see your vehicle impounded for 48 hours on a first offence, up to 3 months for a second, and confiscated for a third.
- Phones: calls only if the phone is in a fixed mounting or can be used without touching it. No texting, emailing or video messaging.
- Pedestrians: give way when turning at intersections, at zebra and children’s crossings, and in slip lanes. At parallel walk crossings, turning drivers give way to pedestrians on the green walk signal.
- Ten Rules to Safe Driving: keep to a safe speed, never drink and drive, obey the road rules, concentrate and be ready, be patient and don’t go if in doubt, plan moves early, signal correctly, take extra care at intersections, know your car, and be courteous.
- Pre-driving checks: tyres need at least 1.5 mm of tread, with pressures set when cold. Also check brakes, steering, all lights, the horn (only for warning others), a clean windscreen and working wipers, and mirrors. Nothing may hang from the interior mirror, and you still need head checks for blind spots.
Part 2: Getting your WA licence
- Learner’s permit at 16, valid 3 years. Theory test, eyesight test, medical declaration.
- Learners: L plates front and rear, 100 km/h maximum, no Kings Park, 0.00 BAC. Supervisor licensed for at least 4 years.
- HPT after 6 calendar months on your permit and at age 16 years 6 months.
- At least 50 supervised hours, including 5 at night, before the PDA at 17 (under 25s).
- P plates for 2 years: red for 6 months (midnight to 5am curfew, one passenger), then green for 18 months.
- Offences that can cancel a provisional licence, such as a BAC of 0.02 or more, careless driving, or excessive tyre noise or smoke.
- Motorcycle and heavy vehicle licences have their own learner steps and experience rules (Appendix 1).
- Seniors: an annual medical assessment from age 80, and a yearly driving assessment from 85 to keep a heavy vehicle class.
- Bribery: offering any gift or payment to get a licence is a serious offence and will be prosecuted.
- Organ donation: from 16 you can register on the national Australian Organ Donor Register, which has replaced the driver’s licence record. Tell your family your wishes.
- Blood donation: donors are generally aged 18 to 76 and weigh over 50 kg. Lifeblood checks eligibility on 13 14 95.
Each step is covered in detail in WA learner rules and the 50 hour logbook and our other WA guides.
Part 3: Major road rules (the biggest section)
| Topic | Numbers to know |
|---|---|
| Default speed limits | 50 km/h in built-up areas, 110 km/h outside them |
| Speed caps | 100 km/h for learners, vehicles towing, buses over 5 tonnes and vehicles over 12 tonnes GCM. P platers up to 110 km/h |
| Passing stationary emergency or breakdown vehicles with flashing lights | No more than 40 km/h. Move over a lane if safe (SLOMO) |
| Following distance | At least 2 seconds. 4 to 5 seconds in poor conditions |
| Stopping at 60 km/h | About 45 metres: 25 m reacting plus 20 m braking |
| High beam | Dip within 200 m of an oncoming vehicle or when following within 200 m |
| Keep left | On roads of 90 km/h or more, or with “keep left unless overtaking” signs, use the right lane only to overtake, turn right or U-turn, or in congestion |
| Railway crossings | Stop at least 3 m from the nearest rail if there is no stop line. Don’t stop within 20 m |
| Freeways | Don’t drive more than 20 km/h below the limit unless conditions require it |
| Signals | Indicate for at least 5 seconds when pulling out from the kerb |
| No stopping | Within 10 m of an intersection, 1 m of a fire hydrant, 3 m of a letter box, 20 m of a railway crossing |
Part 3 also covers floodways, signs and markings, traffic lights and arrows, roundabouts, intersections (give way to the right at uncontrolled four-way intersections), turning, U-turns, overtaking and parking. For the rules every state shares, see the Australian Road Rules explained. For country driving, floodways and large vehicles, see country driving in WA.
Part 4: Emergencies and incidents
- 4.1 Motor injury insurance: compulsory and included when you license a vehicle, run by the Insurance Commission of WA. It covers personal injury and death caused to others. It does not cover damage to vehicles or property. Crashes causing injury or death must be reported online through crashreport.com.au.
- 4.2 Emergencies: breakdowns (triangle up to 50 m away in built-up areas, up to 200 m outside them), tyre blow-outs, a stuck accelerator, brake failure, possible head-on crashes, being forced onto gravel, stalling on a railway crossing, a bonnet flying up, a shattered windscreen, car fires and skids (ABC: accelerate, brake and corner gently).
- After a crash: stop, help, exchange details. Report to police if anyone is injured, if total damage exceeds $3,000, or if the owner of damaged property isn’t there.
- 4.3 First aid: the DRSABCD action plan and CPR at 30 compressions to 2 breaths.
- 4.4 Electrical infrastructure: stay in the car, call 000 and Western Power on 13 13 51, and keep everyone 8 m away.
- 4.5 Aggressive drivers: lock doors, keep your distance, drive to a police station or busy public place. Call 000 in an emergency, or 131 444 otherwise.
Part 5: The law and you
- Tell DTMI about a change of address within 21 days.
- Full licence holders: 12 demerit points in 3 years means disqualification (3 months for 12 to 15 points, 4 months for 16 to 19, 5 months for 20 or more). A 12-month good behaviour period is an option for full licence holders only.
- Novices: 4 points (Type 1) and 8 points (Type 2). See WA novice demerit points.
- 5.4 Your car: required equipment, and no more than the top 10 per cent of the windscreen tinted.
- 5.5 to 5.6 Motorcycles, trailers and caravans: one safety chain up to 2.5 tonnes ATM, two from 2.5 to 4.5 tonnes. Brakes are needed from 750 kg gross trailer mass. Nobody may ride in a towed trailer or caravan unless it is approved and licensed for passengers.
- 5.7 Towing another vehicle: gap under 4 m (2.5 m or less for a motorcycle). Flag a tow line longer than 2 m.
- 5.8 Horses and animals: don’t sound your horn or accelerate near horses. Slow down for livestock.
Part 6: Cycle safe
- Pass cyclists with at least 1 m clearance where the limit is 60 km/h or less, and 1.5 m above 60 km/h.
- Cyclists can use the whole lane and ride two abreast. Riders of all ages can legally use footpaths.
- Check for bikes before opening your door. Don’t cut across a cyclist when turning left.
Part 1 still mentions a 1 m clearance for overtaking riders. The 1 m and 1.5 m rule in Part 6 is the more specific one.
Part 7: Appendices
- Appendix 1: licence classes from R-N (moped) and C or C-A (car, from 17) up to MC (multi-combination), with the experience each needs.
- Appendix 2: interstate visitors can drive on their home licence until they have lived in WA for more than 3 months. Overseas learner permits are not recognised in WA.
- Appendix 3: the proof of identity categories (A, B and C) for your first licence.
How to study Drive Safe in a week
- Day 1: Part 1.
- Day 2: Part 2 and Part 5.
- Days 3 and 4: Part 3, with the signs and markings pages.
- Day 5: Parts 4 and 6.
- Days 6 and 7: DTMI’s 11 online road rules quizzes. Go back to the section behind every wrong answer.
Then sit the WA Computerised Theory Test.
Common questions
Where can I get the WA Drive Safe book?
It is a free PDF on the DTMI website, linked from the learner driver resources and theory test pages.
Is the WA theory test based only on Drive Safe?
DTMI says you can find everything you need to pass in the Drive Safe handbook.
Which edition is current?
The revised edition dated 5 August 2026, as of November 2026.
Is Drive Safe the law?
No. It simplifies the road law and doesn’t include every regulation. The full rules are in WA legislation, such as the Road Traffic Code 2000.
Do I need to know the heavy vehicle and motorcycle sections?
For a car permit, focus on the general rules. Read the sections on sharing the road with motorcycles and large vehicles, because those affect every driver.
For the full licence path, see learning to drive in Western Australia.
Sources
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Drive Safe: A handbook for Western Australian road users”, revised 5 August 2026 (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Road rules theory test quiz” (transport.wa.gov.au)
- Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure WA, “Learn the road rules” (transport.wa.gov.au)