NSW Wants To Replace Learner Driver Logbooks With An App

The appification of our nation’s governments continues. Digital driver’s licences are on the horizon in Australia, but NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay wants learner drivers to take the first step. He’s flagged a change to the long-running and much-hated logbook system for keeping track of learner drivers’ hours, replacing it with an app.

Driver logbook image via Shutterstock

The system is outdated and needs a digital overhaul, he told AAP. “The paper learner log book system has been around for 16 years. Ask any learner or parent — it’s time for the system to tap into new technology and move forward to the digital age.”

Various unofficial and rudimentary logbook apps for NSW learner drivers already exist, but an officially sanctioned app could use more complex triggers and features like GPS to track the route and distance travelled, eliminating the need for learner drivers to keep other records.

It’s likely that the app would work to track location data and catalog it in a uniform manner for NSW Roads and Maritime Services testers to verify, while other states like Queensland already have officially recognised logbook apps like RACQ’s Learn2Go. [SBS]


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