A plan to replace South Australian drivers' licence cards with digital versions is unsafe due to security risks, according to an information security expert.

The State Government wants to trial digital drivers' licences on mobile phones for tradespeople later this year.

Emeritus Professor Bill Caelli from the Queensland University of Technology said authorities should hold off because it was too easy for hackers to access people's private information.

"The problem is that 2015 has been a year of massive security breaches," he said.

"In essence, the problem we've got is the platform in your smart phone is simply not ready.

"It is not secure enough yet to do precisely what they're talking about.

"It might be in the future, but right now? No way."

South Australia's peak motoring body said the Government had to tread carefully.

Royal Automobile Association Road Safety senior manager Charles Mountain said that while the idea had some merit, it had to be easily accessible to a number of agencies while remaining safe from hackers.

"There's lots of work that has to be done to ensure the security and integrity is maintained and ensuring that all who chose not to take this form of system still have access to the existing one," he said.

A similar trial is also being considered in New South Wales this year.