Practical lessons
DTAL Practical Lessons are designed to provide the student with the fundamentals for the practical aspects of driving, including:
- Vehicle Controls
- Cabin Drills
- Starting and Moving Off Procedures
- Steering Control
- Gear Changing
- Speed Control and Slowing Procedures
- Turning
- Stopping Procedures
- Give Way Rules
- Reversing
- Parking
- Hill Starts
- Lane Changing and Merging
- Overtaking
- Observation Skills
- Night Driving
- System of Vehicle Control
Practical Lessons can be taken over a period of up to 12 months, and students may change instructors as often as they wish.
Only approved DTAL Instructors may provide DTAL Practical lessons. DTAL Instructors must comply with the Code of Practice for Driving Instructors in the NT (pdf 82Kb) to hold a licence to provide driving instruction, as well as abide by strict Conditions of Registration (pdf 117Kb) to be registered with the DTAL Program.
DTAL Instructors must display a current Registered Driving Instructor (RDI) Identification Card at all times during DTAL Lessons. If an instructor does not have this official identification, then it is possible that they are not registered with DTAL. Please contact the DTAL Program Manager if you are unsure.
All DTAL Practical Lessons must be provided in an approved vehicle fitted with dual controls and registered with the Program.
DTAL will only pay the $40 subsidy for two lessons in any one-week period, being Monday through to Sunday of the same week. There are a total of 12 subsidised vouchers. As the 12 hours of subsidised training is not usually enough on its own to prepare a student for unsupervised driving, it is suggested that all students undertake further practice sessions with a fully licensed driver between professional lessons.
The DTAL Logbook is the responsibility of the student, and must remain in the student’s possession. Vouchers must be completed at the end of each lesson and signed by both the instructor and student. Both the instructor and the student must also endorse any amendments to the vouchers. Logbooks and vouchers cannot be used by any person other than the student they were issued to.