Driver Education - Overview

Driver education/training is intended to provide new drivers with the information, skills and attitudes designed to produce safer drivers who are less likely to be involved in crashes. It is most often made available to young people through either secondary schools and/or commercial driver education agencies that are privately owned and operated. Despite provincial regulations that govern the delivery of these education programs, the content may vary substantially.

In some jurisdictions, the completion of an approved driver education course allows new drivers to reduce the amount of time it takes to gain full licensure in the Graduated Driver Licensing Program (e.g., a "time discount"). However, it is generally agreed that the successful completion of an approved driver education course should not be taken as a substitute for on-road driving practice, since driver education in and of itself has not yet been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of collision.

This section of the Young Driver Safety Resource contains a Driver Education inventory that includes the regulations governing driving schools within all Canadian jurisdictions and a summary table to allow for comparisons across jurisdictions. In addition, this section also contains a brief overview of driver education, publications, research references, and links to relevant organizations. A driver education program checklist features that parents may want to consider when selecting a driver education course is also provided. This checklist was compiled based on a number of other checklists highlighted by various regulatory agencies in several jurisdictions. It is not intended to be exhaustive and individuals should contact the provincial regulatory agency in their jurisdiction for more information.