After you pass in Prince Edward Island: novice restrictions and your licence

By the end of this topic you can

• You can apply the Stage 2 passenger and night rules.
• You can explain how to apply for a night-time work exemption.
• You can describe what changes in Stage 3.
• You can say which rules still apply after you leave GDL.

What you need to know and understand

• Stage 2 lasts at least one year; then you become a Stage 3 driver automatically.
• Stage 2: only one passenger who is not your immediate family, and never more passengers than seatbelts.
• Stage 2 drivers under 21 may drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. only with a qualified fully licensed driver beside them, or with a written exemption.
• Stage 3: passengers up to the number of seatbelts, and every passenger must be buckled. There is no night limit.
• All newly licensed drivers keep zero alcohol and drugs, the hand-held device ban and the G decal.
• Zero alcohol continues until you turn 22, even if you finish GDL earlier.

Stage 2 in practice

Your immediate family under the Act includes your spouse, parents and their spouses, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, grandparents, your spouse's parents, and relatives who live permanently with you. Anyone else, including friends and cousins who live elsewhere, uses your single non-family seat. Six or more demerit points in your first year mean a one-month suspension and probation.

The night-time work exemption

1. Check you qualify: you are a Stage 2 driver under 21 and need to drive between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to get to or from work, for work duties, or for another reason the Registrar accepts.
2. Complete the Registrar's application form. If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must sign consent.
3. If approved, follow any conditions set, such as carrying the exemption, showing it to police, driving the most direct route or carrying no passengers.
4. The Registrar can cancel the exemption at any time.

Stage 3 and beyond

After a year in Stage 2 (longer if suspended) you move to Stage 3. The one-passenger rule and night limit end, but you must not carry more passengers than seatbelts or any unbuckled passenger. Nine or more points in your second year bring a one-month suspension and probation.

Once you have held Stage 3 for a year without suspension you may apply for commercial Classes 1 to 4. You can supervise a learner only once you are fully licensed and have held a licence for at least four years.

Common mistakes

• Giving two friends a lift in Stage 2. That is a passenger offence and leads to a suspension.
• Removing the G decal when you reach Stage 3. Keep it on until you finish GDL.
• Assuming a work exemption covers a night out. It applies only to the purposes the Registrar approved.
• Having a drink at 21 because you have finished GDL. Zero alcohol applies until 22.

Test yourself: After you pass in Prince Edward Island: novice restrictions and your licence

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s Licence in PEI
• PEI Knowledge Test, Vision Test and Novice Driver Course