Graduated Driver's Licensing program

Graduated licence programs work to save lives and prevent injuries among new drivers.

The Graduated Driver's Licensing (GDL) program is a staged introduction (pdf, 54 kb) of new drivers into the driving environment. Drivers gradually move into higher risk driving situations after gaining experience in lower risk situations.

Steps in the GDL program

There are 6 steps as outlined below:

1. Get a learner's licence by passing a written exam that tests knowledge of the rules of the road.
2. Complete the required high school driver training education¹ (30 hours in-class, 6 hours in-car) or commercial training² (6 hours in-class and 6 hours in-car). Then, practise driving for 9 months with a supervising driver under the following restrictions:
   • The number of passengers is limited to the number of seatbelts.
   • Only family members can be passengers between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.
   • Only the supervising driver, who must be a fully licensed driver, can be in the front seat with you.
   • You cannot consume any alcohol before driving.
3. Pass a road test of driving skills to get a Novice 1 licence. You must be at least 16 years old.
4. Practise driving as a Novice 1 driver for 6 months under the following restrictions:
   • You must be 16 years of age, have completed the required driver education and passed a road test.
   • 1 passenger only (who is not an immediate family member) and immediate family members as passengers, limited to number of seatbelts.
   • You cannot consume any alcohol before driving.
   • You cannot be a supervising driver for another driver in the GDL program.
   • You cannot obtain a commercial driver's licence.
5. Once you receive your Novice 2 licence in the mail, practise driving for 12 months under the following restrictions:
   • The number of passengers is limited to the number of seatbelts.
   • You cannot consume any alcohol before driving.
   • You cannot be a supervising driver for another driver in the GDL program.
   • You cannot obtain a commercial driver's licence.
   Your 12 months in Novice 2 must be free from at-fault collisions, traffic convictions and licence suspensions. If you do have an incident, you must restart the 12 month incident-free period. You'll also be placed in the Graduated Driver's Licensing Improvement program.
   
6. Graduation to an experienced Class 5 driver's licence.

Note: It's important to remember to renew your driver's licence. Allowing your licence to lapse can affect your road test date and the graduation date for an experienced Class 5 driver's licence.