Different Levels of Driver’s Licenses

G1

Alcohol: Alcohol level 0.00% Passengers:

• Front passenger: A 4-year experienced G driver must be seated in the front passenger seat, counting 4 years from G2, and the license must not be suspended, the experienced driver’s alcohol level must be less than 0.05%
• Back seat: Back seat passengers must wear a seat belt Roads: Not allowed to drive on 400-series highways, as well as some high-speed roads (unless the front passenger is a driving school instructor) Time: Not allowed to drive between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM

G2

Alcohol: Alcohol level 0.00% Passengers: All passengers must wear seat belts Time: Between 12:00 AM and 5:00 AM, only 1/3 passengers under 19 years old are allowed to ride (1 in the first six months, 3 in the second six months)

Note: Unless a front passenger is with a G driver, or passengers are family members, there are no restrictions at night

Drivers under 21 years old must have an alcohol level of 0.00%

Impaired Driving Summary

G1, G2, and drivers under 21: Driving with alcohol level 0.00% G1 front passenger (4 years of experience) 0.05% Drivers under 21 found with alcohol level:

1. immediately receive a 24-hour roadside suspension
2. If convicted, a fine and 30-day suspension

Warn Range for Impaired Driving

When the alcohol level is between 0.05% and 0.08% First time: 3-day roadside suspension Second time: 7-day roadside suspension, attend alcohol education course Subsequent penalties increase

Administrative Driver’s license suspension (ADLS) for Impaired Driving

Impaired driving criteria: blood alcohol level > 0.08% If you refuse an alcohol breath test or refuse to provide an alcohol test report, you will be treated as impaired driving Penalty: 90-day suspension, immediately effective from the roadside, plus possible subsequent criminal penalties (1 year suspension or more, see [###Criminal Code Suspensions](###Criminal Code Suspensions)) and detention

Some non-prescription drugs also contain alcohol or drug ingredients, leading to impaired driving If caught driving impaired, you may face fines of up to $50,000, up to 14 years in jail, and even permanent license revocation If impaired driving causes injuries or fatalities, insurance companies do not cover, and you may face life imprisonment

Before the end of the impaired driving suspension, you must attend a Driver-improvement interview, otherwise your license will continue to be suspended

Seat Belt Summary

Any violations related to seat belts and child seats deduct 2 points Driver not wearing a seatbelt/required passengers not wearing a seatbelt: deduct 2 points, fined

Passengers under 16 All passengers of a G1 driver (including the experienced driver in the front passenger seat) All passengers of a G2 driver Driver fails to provide seat belts for all passengers (seatbelt unavailability, even if not needed): license impounded for 30+ days Child car seats (driver must provide seats as required) [Out of the scope of the test]

Lights Summary

Failure to operate lights as required deducts 2 points

Headlights, Rear Lights

When the Headlights are on, there must be white light illuminating the rear license plate Usually, when the headlights are turned on, the taillights, and the license plate light will be on automatically Headlights consist of two parts: Low beam and High beam, used to illuminate the road ahead and make the vehicle visible to others Requirements for headlights and taillights: visible to other drivers from 150m away Headlight requirements:

1. Headlights should illuminate a 110m field of view ahead
2. High beams must be switched to Low Beam when approaching 150m from oncoming traffic or when there is a vehicle 60m ahead in the same direction (unless passing when there is a vehicle 60m ahead)
3. In rural areas, over the hill, or at a curve, switch to Low Beam to avoid dazzling the oncoming vehicles

[Question] The speed of the vehicle cannot overdrive your headlights - meaning the vehicle’s safe braking distance cannot exceed the distance provided by the Headlights, for distance reference, see [##Stopping Distance] (Stopping Distance)

Fog lights

Fog lights can help avoid glare in fog, if the vehicle does not have fog lights, use Low beam

Do not turn on High beam, as it may cause the water droplets in the fog to reflect and dazzle the driver’s eyes

Conditions to Turn on Headlights

From 30 minutes before sunset to 30 minutes after sunrise When visibility is less than 150m ahead Weather conditions: Heavy Fog (Low beam), Rain, Snow

Daytime running lights

Daytime running lights should only be turned on when visibility is good, making it easier for other drivers to notice you. If visibility is poor, do not turn on daytime running lights, use Headlights (or Fog lights) instead

Parking lights

Parking lights can only be used for parking Parking lights are primarily used to make the vehicle’s position visible from the side when parked on the road.

Turn Signal

When the lights are not working, hand signals can be used for signaling Right turn: upward curve Left turn: straight out Brake: downward curve

Note: Sleds and bicycles have different signaling methods

Steering

Most of the time, the steering should have both hands on the steering wheel, placing them at the 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. Exceptions for U-turns and 3-point turns

Keep Right

Except for left turns or passing, always keep to the right

Speed Limits

Default speed limit in cities is 50km/h Default speed limit in rural areas (non-city) is 80km/h

Exceeding the speed limit by 50km/h (or speeding by 40km/h on roads with a speed limit <80km/h): 6 points Exceeding the speed limit by 30-49km/h: 4 points Exceeding the speed limit by 16-29km/h: 3 points Using a radar detector: 3 points

Stopping Distance

According to the Drivers Handbook’s diagram, for a small car: Braking distance at 80km/h is 60m Braking distance at 70km/h is 40m llumination distance of Low beam is 45m

Obey Police

Police traffic direction takes priority over everything When being followed by a police vehicle, pull over to the right Documents that police will check:

1. Driver’s license
2. Vehicle permit (or a copy)
3. Insurance

Failure to comply with police instructions: 3 points

If you fail to pull over as requested: at least 5-year suspension (equivalent to having your license revoked because you need to retake the test) If you attempt to flee: 7 points, fine

Maintain Vehicle Distance

Use the 2-second rule technique Failure to maintain vehicle distance as required - 4 points

Question: Calculate the appropriate vehicle distance If the speed limit is v km/h, according to the 2-second rule, we should maintain 2s * v/3.6 = v/1.8 m, approximately equal to v/2 Therefore, for a road with a speed limit of 60km/h, you should maintain a distance of at least 30m If a car is 5m long, then you should keep a distance of 6 cars Therefore, questions about calculating vehicle distance can use this formula: In meters: v/2 m In cars: v/10 car lengths Example: On a 60km/h road, if a truck breaks down, a warning sign should be placed 30m away

The above is a summary of practice questions, not explicitly stated in the Driver’s handbook Additional distance is required for special conditions such as icy or snowy roads

Sharing Roads - Right of Way

Pedestrians

Pedestrians always have the ultimate right of way

Crosswalk

Not every crosswalk will have markings, but almost every intersection will have a crosswalk

When encountering these situations, cars and bicycles must give way to pedestrians

1. Pedestrians crossing at a Crosswalk need to wait until the pedestrian has completely crossed
2. School Crossing
3. Locations with Crossing Guards, need to wait until the Crossing Guard leaves the road (Crossing Guard is a pedestrian)

Bicycles

Violations should fall under Failing to share the road, deducting two points Bicycles have rights second only to pedestrians Usually, bicycles must ride within 1m of the road edge, or when there is no road edge, stay as far right as possible However, bicycles can directly use the motor vehicle lane as long as safety is ensured Bicycles can also use left turn lanes to turn left Passing Bicycles must maintain 1m of lateral distance from the Cyclist

Using Bike Lanes/Bus Lanes

When making a right turn, you can use bike lanes or bus lanes

Bike Boxes

To prevent interference between bicycles and motorcycles when the light turns green, some intersections have Bike Boxes, green areas for Motorcycles and Bicycles to use. Cars must stop behind the Bike Boxes

Sharrows

These look like this: “«Bike”, reminding drivers to share the road with Bicycles

Watch out for Bikes when Opening Doors

When opening the door, be aware if there are bikes approaching from behind and open the door carefully. Causing a collision with a bike deducts 2 points.

Doors should always be opened with caution, not just for bikes, as causing a collision will deduct 2 points

Motorcycle

Motorcycles should always be treated as cars regardless of the situation

Commerical Vehicles

On a 80km/h road, a truck’s braking distance is about 90m, while a regular car is about 60m Passing commercial Vehicles should return to the original lane after passing 90m, otherwise the truck driver must slow down to maintain the distance

LCV, Long Commerical Vehicles, double-trailer trucks, can be up to 40m long

Buses

Three Types of Special Indented Stopping Areas

1. Mid-block indented bays
2. Indentations immediately before and after intersections

For these areas, vehicles turning off the main road can use them, while vehicles entering from lanes must directly turn to the left of the intersection

3. Bus-stop areas between two designated parking areas

When a bus turns on the left signal, yield the right of way and wait for the bus to return to the road

Farm Machinery, Horse-drawn Vehicles

These vehicles have a slow-moving vehicle sign, indicating traveling below 40km/h When encountering them, follow slowly behind and pass only when it is safe

Road Rage & Aggressive Driving

Street Racing

Racing with other vehicles deducts 6 points

Workers on Road

According to the latest Highway Traffic Act, now speeding near workers on the road incurs double the fine Traffic controllers and firefighters with Stop and Slow signs also have legal effect

Distracted Driving

Careless Driving behavior deducts 6 points

Eating also counts as Distracted Driving, theoretically, any activity other than driving is Driving while holding or using a hand-held wireless communications/entertainment device or viewing a display screen unrelated to driving task deducts 3 points, fine, and suspension (using mobile devices, or looking at screens unrelated to driving)

Careless Driving & Dangerous Driving

Distracted Driving < Careless Driving < Dangerous Driving Different levels of violations have different penalties, Distracted Driving may not incur a fine, or a 3-point penalty Careless Driving may result in a 6-point penalty for more severe cases Elevated to Dangerous Driving constitutes a criminal offense Police can charge drivers not fully focused on driving with Careless Driving or even Dangerous Driving (criminal offense) Mobile devices include but are not limited to watches, phones, MP3 players

Emergency Vehicles

Identifying Emergency Vehicles

Ambulance - Flashing blue light Firefighters and volunteer medical responders using their own vehicles - Flashing Green light Emergency Vehicles are not limited to cars and can include bicycles, motorcycles, etc.

Reacting to Approaching Emergency Vehicle

Immediately pull over to the right and try to get as close to the road edge as possible and parallel to the roadside Do not stop on the median If you are at an intersection ready to turn, proceed straight through the intersection before pulling over, giving up your turn After an Emergency Vehicle has passed, check for any trailing Emergency Vehicles (such as an ambulance following a fire truck), make sure it is safe before returning to the road Following an emergency vehicle by less than 150m constitutes an offense

When a police car signals to pull over, stop in an out of traffic lane, meaning stop on the median or where the police indicate

Reacting to a Stopped Emergency Vehicle or Tow Truck

If an Emergency Vehicle is stopped on the same side of the road and meets any one of the following conditions:

1. emergency vehicle with red, red and blue lights flashing
2. tow truck with its amber lights flashing in the same direction of your travel You must slow down and try to pass the vehicle as far away as possible

Even a tow truck with amber lights flashing is considered an emergency vehicle

Fine and Point Deductions

For failing to comply with the above requirements regarding emergency vehicles, you will receive 3 points and a fine for the first offense For the second offense and subsequent offenses, there will be more fines, and up to 6 months of detention

Dealing With Emergencies

Collision

Fleeing the Collision scene deducts 7 points For collisions with damages exceeding $2000, failing to notify the police results in 3 points (can be negotiated under $2000)

Collisions with Injuries

If there is no threat of fire or explosion, do not move an injured person, wait for professional medical personnel; if the vehicle catches fire, quickly remove the injured person from the scene

Collisions without Injuries

If the vehicle is drivable, move it to a safe location that does not obstruct traffic

Road Signs

Stop, Standing & Parking (Idling?)

No Stopping: No Parking, No Loading/Unloading, No Embarking/Disembarking No Standing: No Parking, No Loading/Unloading, Passengers can embark/disembark No Parking: No Parking, Loading/Unloading allowed, Passengers can embark/disembark

As for Idling, there is no precise definition found, but there have been previous exam questions about it, so for now, it is understood as “idling”

Point Deductions for Road Sign Violations

Failing to stop for a school bus - 6 points

Bus drivers failing to stop for a railway crossing - 5 points

Ignoring railway crossing barriers - 3 points Failing to obey stop signs, traffic lights, or railway crossing signals - 3 points Failing to obey traffic control stop/slow sign - 3 points Failing to obey the school crossing stop sign - 3 points

Prohibited turns - 2 points Failing to obey signs (general offenses, not following road signs) - 2 points

Maintaining Your Driver’s License

Renewal

You will receive a renewal form before your license expires, and you must complete the renewal process. If you do not receive a form, you are responsible for ensuring your driver’s license is valid. Renewal does not require an additional test. If your license has been suspended, canceled, or expired for three years or more, you need to start over again

Elderly Driving License [Out of the scope of the test]

Requalification

If you have not obtained a Full G within the validity period of your G1 or G2 driver’s license, you can choose to pay a fee for another 5 years, and take a test to maintain your current level. Otherwise, you will need to start the entire process from scratch.

Changing Name or Address

Whenever you change your address or name, you need a new Driver’s License. You must notify the Ministry of Transportation within 6 days of changing your address or name

Driving License Laws

You can never lend your driver’s license to someone else

Driver’s License Point System

Each point deduction record is retained on the driver’s license for two years

Penalties for Reaching a Certain Number of Points (Note that each violation incurs additional penalties)

G1 and G2

2+ - Receive the first warning letter 6 points - Receive the second warning letter 9+ points: Driver’s license 60-day suspension (counting from the date of submission to the MTO)

If you do not voluntarily submit to the MTO, you will face a maximum two-year suspension After the suspension ends, the points will be restored to 4 points, and after reaching 9 points a second time, you will face a 6-month suspension

As a G1 and G2 driver, if your violation meets any of the following criteria:

1. Violating the specific G1 and G2 regulations (see [##Different Levels of Driver’s Licenses](##Different Levels of Driver’s Licenses))
2. Receiving a court-ordered suspension
3. Violations that will deduct 4 points or more The points will not be recorded on your license, but you will receive other corresponding penalties and Novice Driver Escalating Sanction License Suspension (30-day suspension, maximum 2 years for refusal to submit)

Fully Licensed Drivers

6 points - warning letter 9 points - second warning letter 15 points - 30-day suspension, counting from the submission of the driver’s license to the MTO, if you refuse to submit, you will face a suspension of up to two years

After the suspension ends, the points will be restored to 7 points, and after reaching 15 points a second time, you will face a 6-month suspension Point restoration calculation: (total points - 1) / 2

Other Point Deduction Methods (not covered in