AGE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum entry age: 16 years

Minimum exit age: 17 years and 6 months

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Parental consent

Successfully passed test  ⁄ course: Class 5 road test

Time completion: Held a Class 5L licence for at least 9 months without suspensions

EXIT REQUIREMENTS

Successfully passed test ⁄ course

Time completion: Hold Class 5I licence for 15 months

STAGE DURATION

Minimum duration: 15 months

Maximum holding period

SUPERVISORY DRIVER

See night restrictions below

SUPERVISED DRIVING

Minimum amount of supervised driving - see restrictions below

DRIVING RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS

BAC level while driving: 0.0 BAC

Display "L" sign⁄plate when driving

Night restrictions

Other restrictions

Passenger restrictions: 

> 5 a.m. to midnight – one passenger in the front seat; up to the number of functioning seatbelts in the back seat(s)
> Midnight to 5 a.m. – either one passenger, or when accompanied by a qualified supervising driver in the front seat, additional passengers up to the number of functioning seatbelts in the back seat(s)

Road restrictions

SUSPENSION & PROHIBITION

Lower driver penalty point threshold

Violation of the zero BAC limit: 24-hour roadside suspension, required to attend a Novice Driver hearing. If the driver’s BAC is over.08 BAC or they refuse to provide a breath sample, the existing drinking and driving countermeasures will apply, including:

> An immediate 24-hour roadside suspension
> An automatic vehicle impoundment for a minimum period of 30 days (depending on the BAC level or repeat offences)
> A 3-month Administrative Licence Suspension
> A mandatory alcohol assessment
> A mandatory minimum 1-year court-imposed licence prohibition
> A mandatory 1-year licence suspension upon conviction of a criminal code offence
> A licence reinstatement fee

Violation of any GDL restrictions: Drivers will be required to attend a Novice Driver Hearing with Driver Improvement and Control Section of Driver and Vehicle Licensing (see Drive Improvement Action section below for details) for further sanctions. As a result of the hearing, they may receive: a licence suspension, an extension of the Learner or Intermediate Stage, special driving courses (at their own expense), passenger restrictions, time of day restrictions, or other driving restrictions

DRIVER IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS

The Driver Improvement and Control program: Different interventions may apply for novice or experienced drivers, depending on how serious the unsafe driving was and how often it occurred. For novice drivers, the interventions begin earlier than experienced drivers. Interventions include:

> Sending the driver an advisory letter about their driving
> Sending the driver a warning letter about their driving
> Requiring the driver to complete a driver course
> Requiring the driver to attend a Show Cause Hearing, with possible outcomes including: a driver licence suspension, required completion of a driver course or driver examinations, further restrictions on their licence, or no action.
Drivers who do not complete a required course or exam will have their driver’s licence cancelled and their driver’s licence fees refunded

ADDITIONAL CLASS 5I FEATURES

Novice drivers are only required to complete the novice stage once; credit for time served in the novice stage in Class 5 will be given for the novice stage in Class 6 and vice versa

Novice drivers may: Tow vehicles, operate a Class 3 motor vehicle registered as a farm truck, operate off-road vehicles along or across a highway, apply for authorized instruction in licence Classes 1-4 if 18+ years of age and meet the vision/medical standards