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Can your supervising driver have a drink? WA's rules explained
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Can your supervising driver have a drink? WA's rules explained

The adult in the passenger seat must stay under 0.05, the same limit as if they were driving. Learners themselves must have zero alcohol.

Everything Perth3 November 20262 min read

If you're on your L plates and your parents want a drink before taking you out for a drive, the rule in WA is simple: your supervising driver must follow the same alcohol limit that would apply if they were behind the wheel themselves.

A Perth learner asked this week after finding that official websites only say "the same rules apply". Here's what that means.

What the law says

Transport WA's Teach someone to drive page says a supervising driver must "follow the same alcohol drug restrictions that would apply if you were driving or riding the vehicle". The Drive Safe handbook adds that supervisors must not have illicit drugs in their system.

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For most supervising drivers, that means a blood alcohol content (BAC) under 0.05. A car supervisor must have held a licence for at least four years, which takes them past the two-year novice period when a zero limit applies. A zero limit still applies to some drivers, including extraordinary licence holders and recently disqualified drivers.

The learner must have a BAC of zero. All novice drivers in WA, including those on L and P plates, are on a zero limit.

A police officer conducting a roadside breath test of a driver

Photo: Chris Olszewski via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). File photo taken in Brisbane.

Police do check

Locals say police watch for supervisors who have been drinking. One said their mother lost her licence for three months after returning a low-range reading while supervising them on their Ls. Everything Perth could not verify that account, but the handbook is clear that supervisors are responsible for keeping under the limit.

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Others pointed out that 0.05 can mean as little as one or two drinks. The safest option is not to drink before a lesson at all, or to schedule driving practice earlier in the day.

"You're a learner driver, not a designated driver." - Perth local

Other rules for supervisors

  • Hold a current licence for the type of vehicle, held for at least four years for a car or motorcycle.
  • Make sure L plates are displayed and the car is licensed and roadworthy.
  • Sign the learner's logbook after each session.

Sources: Transport WA; Drive Safe handbook; comments from Perth locals.

Main photo: Chris Olszewski via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). File photo of a random breath test in Brisbane.

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