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Road to Solo Driving is Victoria’s official learner driver handbook, and the VicRoads Learner Permit Test questions are based on it. You also need it for the drive test. This study guide walks through every chapter, tells you what to focus on, and answers the nine “Test yourself” questions with explanations. It ends with a study plan you can finish in about a week.
Key facts about the handbook
- Publisher: Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria.
- Current PDF: cover dated September 2026; the imprint says “Updated March 2023”. It includes the device rules that started on 31 March 2023.
- Free download from the Transport Victoria “Driver handbooks and logbooks” page. Translated versions are listed on the same page.
- Five colour-coded sections: the 10 steps to your licence, then Chapters 1 to 4, then Resources.
- The handbook is a guide only. The law itself is the Road Safety Act 1986 and the Road Safety Road Rules 2017 (legislation.vic.gov.au). The handbook’s resources page still names the older 2009 rules, which the 2017 rules replaced.
Chapter by chapter: what to learn
The licensing journey and the 10 steps
Ages, the Graduated Licensing System and the order of tests. Know these cold:
- You must be at least 16 to sit the Learner Permit Test.
- Under 21 at your licence test: 120 hours of supervised driving, including 20 at night.
- Hazard Perception Test from 17 years 11 months, and you must pass it before the drive test.
- P1 (red) for at least 1 year, then P2 (green) for at least 3 years. Aged 21 or over, you go straight to P2.
Detail: learning to drive in Victoria.
Chapter 1: The challenges of driving
Why new drivers crash. The key ideas are that crash risk peaks when you first get your Ps, and that the four common crash types are run-off-road, turning right across traffic, being hit by a right turner, and rear-ending. Test questions here are about attitudes and risk, so read it even though it has few rules.
Chapter 2: Learning to drive
Hazard perception, blind spots, head checks, mirror set-up and the four stages of the Learner Kit. Key definitions: a head check is a quick look over your shoulder through the rear side windows. Frequent short drives beat occasional long ones early on. Study alongside the 120 hour logbook guide.
Chapter 3: Managing risk
Alcohol and drugs, speed, phones, passengers, distractions, fatigue, seatbelts, vehicle safety and maintenance, seven crash-reducing strategies, eco-driving. Learn the numbers: zero BAC for L and P drivers, a two-second minimum following gap, and the P1 one-peer-passenger limit. Summary: managing risk as a new Victorian driver and phone rules for L and P platers.
Chapter 4: Rules and responsibilities
The longest chapter and the source of most test questions. Sections and where to study each:
| Handbook section | Study with |
|---|---|
| Alcohol; Drugs, medicine and driving | Zero alcohol for learners and P platers |
| Seatbelts | Seatbelts and child car seats |
| Road signs; Road markings | Australian road signs, road markings and lane lines |
| Traffic controls at intersections; Give Way rules | Giving way in Australia, traffic lights and arrows, roundabouts |
| Turning, including hook turns | How to do a hook turn in Melbourne |
| Freeways; Overtaking | Learners on freeways, overtaking, merging and changing lanes |
| Sharing the road: pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists | Pedestrian and school crossings, passing cyclists |
| Sharing the road: trams and buses | Driving with trams in Victoria |
| Police and emergency vehicles; trucks; animals | Emergency vehicles, trucks and buses, wildlife |
| Railway level crossings | Railway level crossings |
| Parking | Parking rules in Australia |
| Penalties; Legal responsibilities; Crash responsibilities | Victoria demerit points, penalties and legal responsibilities |
The national guides cover the Australian Road Rules shared across states. Where Victoria differs, its handbook wins for your Victorian test.
The Test yourself questions, answered
The handbook’s nine sample questions show the style of the real test, but are not the actual test questions.
- Safe following distance in good conditions? At least two seconds behind the car in front. Car lengths are not the measure.
- At a random breath test, you must take a test: when you are asked to. Not only if you have been drinking or speeding.
- Driving is best described as: a complicated task.
- Supervised learner drivers: are amongst the safest drivers on the road. Their risk is far lower than new P drivers’.
- School crossing vs pedestrian crossing? Not the same. At a children’s crossing you must stop and stay stopped until the crossing is completely clear of pedestrians.
- A head check is: looking quickly over your shoulder through the side windows.
- Early on, it is best to take: frequent, short drives in light traffic with your supervisor.
- Crash likelihood is almost halved after: 2 to 3 years of solo driving.
- Best way to check a car’s crashworthiness: its safety rating on How Safe Is Your Car, ANCAP or the Used Car Safety Ratings buyer’s guide.
Notice the pattern: the wrong options sound reasonable but are less safe or only partly true. Pick the answer that matches the handbook wording, not what drivers commonly do.
A one-week study plan
| Day | Read | Check yourself |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 steps, Chapter 1 | Can you list the licence stages and ages? |
| 2 | Chapters 2 and 3 | Explain hazard perception, BAC rules and phone rules aloud |
| 3 | Chapter 4: alcohol to road markings | Name every sign on a drive or walk |
| 4 | Chapter 4: intersections, Give Way, turning | Draw a hook turn and a T-intersection give way |
| 5 | Chapter 4: freeways to level crossings | Tram stop and school crossing rules |
| 6 | Chapter 4: parking to crash responsibilities | Parking distances from hydrants, crossings, intersections |
| 7 | Test yourself questions; reread weak areas | Start the online test |
The online Learner Permit Test is described in the VicRoads Learner Permit Test guide.
The rest of the Victorian handbook set
- Guide for Learners, with the Learner Log Book: your four-stage practice plan, unless you use the myLearners app.
- Guide for Supervising Drivers: for the person sitting beside you.
- Rules for P drivers brochure: the P1 and P2 rules and penalties once you pass.
Common questions
Is the VicRoads learner test taken straight from Road to Solo Driving?
Yes. The handbook says the learner permit test questions are based on it. The sample questions in the book are not the real ones.
Where do I download Road to Solo Driving?
From the Transport Victoria “Driver handbooks and logbooks” page, as a free PDF.
Is Road to Solo Driving available in other languages?
Yes, some translated editions are listed on the Transport Victoria handbooks page. The tests themselves are also offered in some languages, and free interpreters can be booked.
Is my old copy still OK?
Road laws change. The handbook tells you to check you have the latest edition. Use the current PDF, which includes the March 2023 phone rules.
Do I need the handbook for the drive test too?
Yes. The handbook says you need its information to pass the drive test, and recommends rereading it before you go.
How long does it take to study?
The book has over 160 pages. A focused week, as in the plan above, covers it with time to revise.
Sources
- Department of Transport and Planning, “Road to Solo Driving” handbook, all chapters and Test yourself questions (edge.sitecorecloud.io)
- Transport Victoria, “Driver handbooks and logbooks” (transport.vic.gov.au)