- Parking is the rule learners know least: 64% of parking and stopping answers were right, against 81% across all 328 questions. Alcohol and drug questions scored highest, at 87%.
- Fewer than half of answers on how far to park from a fire hydrant were right: 46% in Queensland (171 answers) and 46% in WA (228).
- WA learners slip on their own permit rules, just as those rules change: 33% of answers on how long a WA learner's permit is valid (three years) were right (129 answers). That rule is staying; the one changing is the minimum time on a permit: in April the WA Government announced it will double the minimum learner period from six to 12 months and lift supervised hours from 50 to 80.
- Parking near a corner catches learners out: 46% got it right in WA and 56% in Victoria.
- Melbourne's trams: 56% of answers got the speed limit for passing a stopped tram once its doors have closed right.
Learners know the rules that keep people alive
The questions learners nail are the safety ones: belting up in the back seat (99%), not overtaking a car stopped at a children's crossing (98%) and slowing down in the wet (98%). Alcohol and drug rules average 87%.
The rules that cost you a fine are the ones they miss
| Topic | Correct | Answers | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parking and stopping | 64% | 2,010 | 16 |
| Licence rules (validity, waiting periods, hours) | 73% | 4,464 | 35 |
| Speed limits | 77% | 6,043 | 47 |
| Give way and roundabouts | 78% | 3,414 | 35 |
| Alcohol and drugs | 87% | 2,018 | 19 |
| All questions | 81% | 40,094 | 328 |
The hardest questions, state by state
Each state's questions follow its own road rules. Tap one to try it.
Use this infographic
The infographic and every figure here are free to use under CC BY 4.0, with credit to DriveBuddy. Paste this into your page:
<a href="https://drivebuddy.com.au/insights/road-rules-learners-get-wrong"><img src="https://drivebuddy.com.au/insights/road-rules-infographic-2026-11-02.png" alt="The road rules learner drivers get wrong most: parking and stopping 64% correct, against 81% across all questions. Source: DriveBuddy." width="1200" height="1350"></a>
<p>Source: <a href="https://drivebuddy.com.au/insights/road-rules-learners-get-wrong">DriveBuddy</a></p>Journalists: for per-state figures, the per-question data or comment, email [email protected].
Methodology
- Source: anonymous answers to the free learner practice tests on DriveBuddy, counted per question without any personal data, up to 1 November 2026.
- Which questions count: those with 30 or more answers: 328 of 574. NT has none past that mark yet.
- Where the answers come from: WA 19,570, QLD 10,870, VIC 5,369, TAS 1,866, NSW 1,326, SA 683, ACT 410.
- Topics: grouped by keywords in each question. Figures are weighted by the number of answers.
- Answers, not people: every answer is counted, so a learner who retakes a question counts each time. Figures are shares of answers, not of individual learners.
- Limits: these are learners practising online, not a random sample of drivers, and each state's question set is different. About half of all answers come from WA, so the all-state and topic figures lean towards WA's questions. A comparison between topics or states describes these questions, not every road rule. Samples under 60 answers are marked.
Ready for the real thing? Try the free practice test for Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales, South Australia, Australian Capital Territory.