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Hello and welcome to the April/May edition of Drive Smart!

 

April was a busy time for all with Easter, School Holidays and Anzac Day.

 

We are thrilled that we have had such a positive start to our Professional Development online seminar series. The initial 2026 program and calendar is now online here and our program for May and June is available to all members.

 

Our initial focus has been on a wonderful series for digital marketing, and we have now launched a pair of seminars with Russell White, to coincide with National Road Safety Week and Fatality Free Friday.

 

We are now hard at work planning the second half of the year, with additional online seminars, The ADTA Conference and the NSW Big Day Out all ahead.

 

Happy reading and speak soon!

 

Charles

National Road Safety Week & Fatality Free Friday

ADTA will be a proud participant in National Road Safety Week and Fatality Free Friday in 2026.

 

National Road Safety Week commences Sunday 17 May 2026 with daily road safety themes through to Sunday 24 May 2026. Fatality Free Friday on 29 May 2026 continues the extended focus on Australian road safety.

 

ADTA will be represented at the official launch of National Road Safety Week in New South Wales and Queensland. We have planned a focused campaign for members on these important safety initiatives. Keep an eye out for our social media campaign as we approach the launch on 17 May.

 

Seminar Series: Russell White

For those of you who attended the 2025 Conference on the Gold Coast you'd remember our keynote speaker Russell White. He gave us a captivating session that we never wanted to end. He joins us again to provide us this new seminar series. 

 

Russell White brings over 30 years of experience as a road safety advocate and the Managing Director of Driver Safety Australia. He’s also the founder and CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, regularly appearing on national programs such as Sunrise, The Today Show, and The Project to provide commentary on road safety. 

 

Wednesday 27th May #### Creating Safer Young Drivers: Behaviour Before Skill

Key Topics: 

  • Why behaviour change matters,
  • Why is our licence system still largely the same as it has always been, 
  • Evidence‑based young driver safety programs,
  • How instructors can influence long‑term safe habits

Book your spot here for session one.

 

 

Wednesday 17th June #### Coaching vs Instructing: Modern Approaches to Learner Development

Key Topics: 

  • The coach’s mindset
  • Mindful instruction and higher level training
  • Shifting from “telling” to “guided discovery”

Book your spot here for session two. 

 

Don't Miss Our Digital Marketing Seminar Series!

The Digital Marketing series is part of the launch of the ADTA 2026 online seminar program. The third online seminar to conclude this series, Getting found on Google is open for bookings to members at $29.95 (including GST). 

 

Join Nicola Elkington from Inabox Digital for this practical, beginner-friendly, immediately actionable marketing seminar, designed for driver trainers and small business operators. Nicola has a wealth of experience working with driver trainers and has provided digital marketing strategies to ADTA’s NSW Safer Drivers Course for many years.

 

The first session, Your online presence. Getting the foundations right was free for members and is now available to view for all members in the members dashboard. 

 

Tuesday 12th May #### Getting Found on Google 

Overview: How to improve your visibility in Google search so more students can find your business. Book your spot here.

 

NSW Update

 

Changes to Driving Test Online Booking System

The driving test online booking system has been updated to help reduce wait times and improve booking integrity.

As part of these changes, Class C licence holders can no longer book a Class C driving test online if they have already passed a driving test and been issued a NSW driver licence.

This change is designed to prevent unnecessary bookings and ensure driving test availability is prioritised for customers who genuinely need to sit a test.

What this means for customers

Customers who are unable to book a driving test online and who genuinely require a booking will need to:

  • attend a Service NSW service centre, or
  • contact the Service NSW contact centre for assistance

Driving instructors are reminded that they must:

 

  • use booking systems appropriately and in line with their intended purpose
  • avoid making or facilitating bookings that are unnecessary or not required
  • ensure customers are provided with accurate information about when a driving test is needed and how to book correctly.

These updates support fair access to driving tests and help reduce waiting times across the system.

QLD Update

 

QLD Digital Licence App is Expanding

Driver authorisation accreditations are now being added to the Digital Licence app, making it easier than ever for rideshare drivers, taxi drivers, bus drivers, and limousine drivers to prove their credentials.

 

You’ll soon be able to access the following driver authorisation accreditations in the Digital Licence app:

  • Rideshare Driver
  • Taxi Driver
  • Bus Driver
  • Limousine Driver

Once available, your driver authorisation will automatically download to the app when you log in. That means you can leave your wallet at home and carry your accreditations securely on your phone – ready to show whenever you need them.

 

Join over 1.25 million Queenslanders who’ve already gone digital with the Digital Licence app. More industry authorities will be added soon!

 

Download the Digital Licence app today here 

NSW HVCBA FCA Route Compliance

Transport for NSW has recently reinforced expectations around Final Competency Assessment (FCA) route compliance, with particular attention on start and finish locations.

 

Under the official Route Development Guide, FCA routes must be developed with full consideration of road rules, safety, and real-world driving conditions, and are subject to audit at any time.

 

Courtesy of Glen Till, RAISE Training and ADTA Board member, full details and ADTA’s position is available here. 

Professional Development Seminar Library

A key feature of our Professional Development online series is a recording of the seminars for later use after the live event. As part of our program we have developed a Seminar Library within the member portal of the ADTA website.

 

Members can access our developing library by simply logging in to the ADTA website and following the link in the members dashboard. As our program develops we look forward to adding additional resources for members.

 

Click here to view our Seminar Library

This email was intended for Nadia Pralija: [email protected] • Unsubscribe