Photo: hypnotiseme, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In South Australia, a learner or P driver who breaches a licence condition or reaches 4 demerit points is disqualified, normally for six months. What happens next depends on which licence you held when you committed the offence. P drivers can often choose a Safer Driver Agreement instead of sitting out the disqualification. Learners cannot. This guide explains each situation and how you get back on the road.
What gets L and P drivers disqualified in SA?
- Breaching a condition of your learner’s permit or provisional licence: any alcohol, drugs, speeding by 10 km/h or more, or (for learners) driving without a qualified supervising driver
- Reaching 4 or more demerit points on your Ls or Ps
- Reaching 12 or more demerit points in any 3 years (applies to every licence holder)
- Breaching a Safer Driver Agreement
- Any drug driving offence, or drink driving over the limit
- Failing to pay outstanding fines
- Being convicted in court of a graffiti offence
Immediate loss of licence: you lose your licence on the spot for drink driving at 0.08 or higher, refusing or failing to take a breath, blood or drug test, or speeding by 45 km/h or more.
How long is the disqualification?
| Situation | Disqualification |
|---|---|
| Breach of a provisional condition, or 4+ demerit points | 6 months |
| The same, after a Safer Driver Agreement or a successful appeal | 12 months |
| 12 to 15 demerit points in 3 years | 3 months (or the 12-month good behaviour option, if eligible) |
| 16 to 19 points | 4 months |
| 20 or more points | 5 months |
A demerit-point disqualification is added on top of any condition-breach or court disqualification. It starts when the other one ends.
If the offence happened on your learner’s permit
- You must sit out the disqualification. There is no Safer Driver Agreement and no appeal.
- Afterwards, you must hold your learner’s permit continuously for 3 months, and for at least 12 months in total if you are under 25 (6 months if 25 or over). Time before the disqualification counts towards the total.
- You must complete the 75-hour log book. Hours logged before the disqualification still count.
- If you had already moved to P1 when you were disqualified for a learner offence, you must also pass another Hazard Perception Test and another practical driving test.
If the offence happened on your P1
You may be able to choose one of three options:
- Sit out the disqualification. Then reapply for a provisional licence, issued for 3 years: 1 year P1 and 2 years P2.
- Enter a Safer Driver Agreement. A new provisional licence is issued for 3 years (1 year P1, 2 years P2).
- Appeal to the court. If successful, a new 3-year provisional licence is issued.
You must sit it out if, in the previous 5 years, you entered a Safer Driver Agreement, were disqualified for breaching one, or successfully appealed a disqualification.
If the offence happened on your P2
You have the same three options and the same 5-year limits. Sit it out and you are issued a P2 for 2 years. Choose a Safer Driver Agreement or win an appeal, and your P2 is cancelled and a new P2 is issued for 2 years.
If you have already reached a full licence
If you are disqualified for an offence committed while you were on your Ps, you may be able to appeal or enter a Safer Driver Agreement, subject to the same 5-year limits. Whichever route you take, you go back to a P2 licence for 2 years. With an agreement or appeal, your full licence is cancelled.
How a Safer Driver Agreement works
- It replaces the six-month disqualification for a breach of provisional conditions or 4+ demerit points. It is not available for a serious disqualification offence.
- Notify the Registrar of Motor Vehicles within 28 days of the date on your notice, at an Australia Post (EPOS) outlet or a Service SA customer service centre.
- It lasts for the rest of your provisional licence.
- Breach your conditions or reach 4+ points again and you are disqualified for 12 months. You cannot appeal, and you cannot have another agreement for 5 years.
Serious disqualification offences
These rule out a Safer Driver Agreement. They include:
- an offence under the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935, such as causing death by dangerous driving
- any offence that carries 4 or more demerit points
- a speeding offence of 3 or more points if you have a similar previous offence
- a red light offence and a speeding offence from the same incident
- any offence if you have been disqualified in SA before
For these, a provisional driver may appeal to the court on the grounds of “severe and unusual hardship”. The court considers your driving history.
The good behaviour option for demerit points
If you reach 12 or more points in 3 years and are eligible, you can choose 12 months of good behaviour instead of the disqualification. You must notify the Registrar within 28 days. Collect 2 or more points during those 12 months and you are disqualified for twice the original period. There is no appeal against demerit-point disqualifications.
Driving while disqualified or unlicensed
Driving while disqualified or suspended carries up to six months’ imprisonment for a first offence, and up to two years for a later offence.
Driving without the right licence is also an offence. The handbook lists a maximum fine of $1,250 for driving on an expired licence. If you have never held a licence, or not one for that class of vehicle, the maximum is $2,500 for a first offence. A second offence within three years can bring a $5,000 fine or a year in prison, plus at least three years’ disqualification.
Probationary licences
A probationary licence is not the same as a P plate licence. It is what some drivers are issued when they come back from certain disqualifications. Its conditions are zero alcohol and none of the four tested drugs, carrying the licence at all times, and fewer than 2 demerit points for the whole probationary period. Breach a condition and you are disqualified. You may appeal to the court, but only once in any five years.
The mandatory alcohol interlock scheme
After a serious drink driving offence, SA requires you to fit an alcohol interlock to a nominated vehicle once your disqualification ends. It stays for a period equal to the disqualification, or three years if that is shorter, and you pay all installation and servicing costs. Serious offences include a BAC of 0.15 or more, a BAC of 0.08 or more with an earlier drink driving offence (other than one under 0.08) in the last five years, driving under the influence, and refusing a breath or blood sample.
Common questions
How long do you lose your Ps for in SA?
Six months for a breach of conditions or 4+ demerit points. It is 12 months if it happens again after a Safer Driver Agreement or successful appeal.
Can I keep driving with a Safer Driver Agreement?
Yes. It replaces the disqualification, but your provisional period restarts and a second breach costs 12 months.
Can learners get a Safer Driver Agreement?
No. Learners must sit out the disqualification.
Do I lose my logbook hours if I am disqualified on my Ls?
No. Hours completed before the disqualification can be included.
Is cancellation the same as disqualification?
No. Cancellation is an extra penalty: when the disqualification ends you must apply for a new licence, and you get no refund for the unused part.
Can unpaid fines cost me my licence?
Yes. Your licence can be suspended for non-payment of outstanding fines.
Related: SA learner permit conditions, SA P1 rules, SA P2 licence rules, double demerit points in Australia. Back to the main guide: learning to drive in South Australia.
Sources
- Government of South Australia, Department for Infrastructure and Transport, “The Driver’s Handbook (MR200, February 2026)” (mylicence.sa.gov.au)