L2P Driving Program

Many of our new arrival community members consider having a driving licence as a top priority to help them  settle in our region to access other services and to be part of the community.

However many do not have access to a vehicle or other family support to help them practice their driving after they get their leaner permit.  That is where SMECC helps by providing a dual-control vehicle for community members to use to practice their driving with a trained volunteer to support. 

The cost of using the vehicle for driving practice is $20 per hour for SMECC clients and $30 per hour for non-SMECC clients.

Volunteer driving mentors are recruited from the community, many through friends and family networks of our clients, to provide on road driving practice under the supervision of a fully licensed driver. 

In collaboration with our partners at the Roadsafe Mildura, Mildura Driving School & Mildura Police we train our mentors, and provide additional free driving safety education sessions and lessons for clients.

We have a high client demand for this program, and a shortage of volunteers, so we would love to hear from any community members who would be interested in becoming regular driving mentor volunteers.