In South Australia, an applicant for a licence can learn to drive with friends or family who fulfil the requirements of a Qualified Supervising Driver or engage a Motor Driving Instructor (MDI).

A driver’s licence applicant must pass a practical driving test with an Authorised Examiner (AE) to ensure they are competent to safely operate a vehicle.

Progress to a heavy vehicle licence is similar but generally, the services of an MDI and an AE are provided via a Registered Training Organisation.

The Registrar of Motor Vehicles (the Registrar) issues MDI licences to people who fulfil the requirements, which authorises them to train applicants for a driver’s licence.

The Registrar also authorises MDIs to become AEs to examine applicants, on behalf of the Registrar, for the purposes of issuing a driver’s licence.

Acronyms and definitions:

MDI: Motor Driving Instructor - A Motor Driving Instructor (MDI) is a person licensed to teach a person to drive and may charge a fee for their service. A MDI is not permitted to “sign off” any stage of the Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBT&A) method or conduct a Vehicle On Road Test (VORT).

AE: Authorised Examiner - An Authorised Examiner (AE) is a person who is appointed by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles to undertake CBT&A or VORT for the purposes of issuing a driver’s licence. An AE may only conduct CBT&A or a VORT for the class of licence in which they are appointed by the Registrar. A SA Police Officer can also be an AE.  A MDI may also be an AE.

VORT: Vehicle On Road Test

CBTA: Competency Based Training and Assessment (logbook)

More information:

• How to be a Qualified Supervising Driver
• How to apply to be a Motor Driving Instructor
• Learning to drive

For more information, email DPTI:DriverTrainingConsultation@sa.gov.au