New Victorian Road Rules 2023 – Mobile Devices – Full Licence Drivers

Drivers with full licences

Drivers who hold a full licence in general cannot touch an unmounted portable device, such as a phone, tablet, laptop or any other device while driving.

Specifically, for all device types (portable, mounted, wearable and inbuilt) you must not, while driving:

  • enter text, numbers or symbols
  • scroll (such as on websites, social media, playlists)
  • play videos or games or take video calls
  • display text messages, social media, emails, or photos
  • rest a device on any part of the body, or pass a device to a passenger.

Rules for portable devices such as unmounted or loose mobile phones, tablets, laptops, media players and game-consoles

When driving (except when parked), you must not:

  • Touch a portable device, even if it is turned off
  • Allow a portable device to be in your lap or on any part of your body or clothes (unless it is in a pocket, or in a pouch attached to your belt or other part of your body)
  • Look at the display of a device being operated by another person in the vehicle
  • Pass a portable device to a passenger
  • If a passenger, pass a portable device to a driver

You can:

  • Connect to your vehicle’s Bluetooth and place the device out of sight and reach before you start driving.
  • Use a mobile phone or other device to pay at a drive-through.

Rules for mounted devices (mobile phones and tablets) and inbuilt navigation and entertainment systems

For mobile phones and tablets, the mounting must be commercially designed and manufactured for that purpose, and the device must be secured in the mounting.

As a general rule, drivers can use their mounted or inbuilt systems for functions such as music and navigation, provided they are not entering text, scrolling or viewing images or video. However, drivers can use voice controls for music and navigation.

When driving (except when parked), you must not:

  • Enter information, text, numbers or symbols
  • Scroll on the device (such as scrolling through texts messages, social media, music etc.)
  • Use the device for:
    • Reading or writing text messages, emails, message threads or viewing websites
    • Watching movies, TV, video games or other moving images
    • Viewing social media and photos
    • Video calls.
  • If a passenger, you must not use the device if it is likely to distract the driver.

You can however, touch the device briefly to:

  • initiate, accept or reject an audio call
  • play or stream audio material
  • adjust volume levels
  • use a function on the device designed to assist you to operate the vehicle
  • use a navigation function
  • use a function on the device designed to monitor a driver’s behaviour or condition, or
  • carry out a professional driving task

Rules for wearable devices such as smart watches, smart glasses and wearable heads-up displays

When driving (except when parked) you must not:

  • touch the device (other than by incidental contact caused by wearing the device)
  • use the device, for example, for any of the following:
    • Reading or writing text such as messages and emails
    • Viewing social media and photos
    • Engaging in video calls
    • Using a navigation function on the device
  • use a function on the device designed to monitor a driver’s behaviour or condition
  • carry out a professional driving task.

However, you can do the following but only if using voice controls:

  • initiate, accept or reject an audio call on the device
  • play or stream audio material on the device
  • adjust volume levels.

Rules for Motorbike helmet devices (head up displays, communicators, cameras and inbuilt or secured mobile phones)

The only actions motorbike riders can use to operate helmet devices is limited to touching the device briefly, or using voice commands, to:

  • initiate, accept or reject an audio call on a device
  • play or stream audio material on the device
  • use a function on the device designed to assist a driver to operate a vehicle
  • use a navigation function on the device
  • use a function on the device designed to monitor a driver’s behaviour or condition (such as a heart monitor)
  • carry out a professional driving task, and
  • adjust volume levels for any of the above.

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