Graduated Driver's Licence
Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation awards new driver’s licences through the GDL (Graduated Driver's Licence) Program, which awards licences in incremental stages as the driver gains more skill and experience.
Class 7 Learner’s Licence and Probationary Class 5 Licence
Before we can start your driving lessons, you must go to any Registry and obtain a Class 7 Learner’s Licence. To do this you must pass a multiple choice test based on information found in the Basic Licence Driver’s Handbook, which is available free from us or from any registry office. If you need help in passing this test, click on Class 7 Preparation under Driving Instruction Packages.
Once you have your class 7, you must wait 1 full year before you are eligible to take the provincial road test for a Probationary Class 5 Licence. During this year the class 7 learner must get lots of practice in a car with a driving coach in the passenger seat beside them. New drivers need about 50-60 hours of driving experience before being awarded a Class 5 Licence. During this time the learner should take Freedom to Drive’s Simulator, Classroom and In-car instruction to prepare for the Class 5 road test. The probationary class 5 includes some restrictions such as a zero alcohol tolerance, a maximum of 7 demerits instead of 14, and restrictions on acting as a driving coach for other class 7 drivers.
When are you ready to take the Probationary Class 5 Road Exam?
We will not recommend that you take the road exam until your instructor feels that you have a good chance of passing. There is never any absolute guarantee that you will pass your road test, as some good drivers freeze up in an exam situation. You and your instructor will jointly decide if you need to purchase more lessons to build up your confidence.
Passing the road exam is not a pre-requisite for earning your insurance reduction certificate. But you must be driving at a 75% level or better and you must have completed a minimum of 10 hours of in-car lessons with an instructor. Additional in-car lessons are cheaper than taking and failing a road test.
Once you pass the road exam – CONGRATULATIONS! You are now the proud owner of a probationary Alberta Class 5 Driver’s Licence!
Non-Probationary or Full Class 5 Licence
After you pass the driving test for your probationary Class 5 Licence, you must complete 2 more years of suspension free driving before you are finally eligible to take the advanced road test and proceed to a non-probationary or full Class 5 Licence. With a full Class 5 you may have a blood alcohol level of .08, your licence is not suspended until you loose 15 demerits, and you may now act as a driving coach for class 7 drivers.
Age Restrictions for GDL
A young person may earn a class 7 learner’s GDL at age 14, but cannot take the exam for a probationary class 5 licence until his or her 16th birthday, and subsequently cannot take the advanced road test for a non-probationary class 5 until his or her 18th birthday.
Exemptions from GDL
If you previously held a class 5 license and lost it for some reason, you may not be required to go through the GDL process, and you may be able to proceed directly to a fully licensed class 5 from a class 7. Some individuals who previously drove in a different country may also not have to wait the year with a class 7 before they can proceed to a full class 5. See your registry office for details.
