Geared to Go: A Workbook for Coaching New Drivers


Administrator: Alberta Transportation
Jurisdiction: Alberta
Start date: 2003

Background: New drivers are most likely to be involved in a collision resulting in injury, or death in the first few months of unsupervised driving. Driving experience and newly acquired skills are at their lowest stage of development during this time. In 2003, Alberta introduced a Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) program for new drivers with the intention to improve road safety by extending the learning stage. To complement the learning stage, Alberta Transportation created Geared To Go: A Workbook for Coaching New Drivers.

Goal: Geared To Go: A Workbook for Coaching New Drivers is not intended to take the place of professional driver training. Rather, it was designed to assist parents/guardians as they coach their new driver into handling the complexities of driving as they practice within the GDL program.

Material: Alberta’s GDL program includes a one-year mandatory learning period before taking a standard Alberta road test. Within this period, Alberta Transportation recommends at least 60 hours of practice driving with an experienced, non-probationary, licensed driver. Coaches are encouraged to develop a practice and experience plan for both themselves and their new driver, which should include various types of driving conditions, e.g. driving after dark, ice and snow, heavy rain, and other challenging situations. While the Workbook for Coaching New Drivers does not cover every detail of the driving process, it does cover the following topics:

  • Pre-driving habits, instruments, and controls;
  • Starting and stopping;
  • Backing up;
  • Right and left turns;
  • Parking;
  • Residential driving;
  • Driving in moderate to heavy traffic;
  • Highway driving;
  • Driving after dark;
  • Driving in poor conditions;
  • Handling common emergency situations; and,
  • Standard transmission vehicles.

Contacts:

Debbie Lamoureux
debbie.lamoureux@gov.ab.ca

The Alberta Traffic Safety Initiative, Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation
Main Floor, Twin Atria, 4999 98 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta T6B 2X3

Phone: 1-780-422-8839 or if outside Edmonton, 310-0000 and then 780-422-8839
Fax: 780-422-3682

Website:
Geared To Go: A Workbook for Coaching New Drivers -
www.transportation.alberta.ca/Content/docType45/Production/
gearedtogoapril2008.pdf

Traffic Safety in Alberta - www.saferoads.com