Supervised practice and driver education in New Brunswick

By the end of this topic you can

• You can check whether a person qualifies as your accompanying driver.
• You can explain the 12-month and 8-month routes to the road test.
• You can describe what a recognized driver training course gives you.
• You can build a practice plan that covers the skills on the road test.
• You can follow the Level 1 rules on every practice drive.

What you need to know and understand

• Your accompanying driver must hold a Class 5 or higher licence and have at least three years of driving experience.
• The accompanying driver sits in the front passenger seat, and nobody else may ride with you.
• Level 1 drivers may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m., even with a supervisor.
• The minimum time on Level 1 is 12 months, or 8 months if you graduate from a recognized licensed driver training course.
• Bring the driving school certificate to your road test if you are using the 8-month route.
• Driver training schools and instructors are licensed by the Motor Vehicle Branch.
• The Government of New Brunswick pages we checked do not set a minimum number of logged practice hours.

Choosing your accompanying driver

A parent or guardian is the usual choice, but any person who meets the licence and experience rules can supervise. A calm supervisor who explains clearly is worth more than one who drives often.

Remember that your supervisor must also be fit to drive. If they have been drinking, using drugs or are very tired, postpone the lesson.

The driver training route

A recognized course from a licensed driving school combines classroom learning with time in an instruction vehicle. Passing it lets you book the road test after 8 months instead of 12. The rest of your 24 months in the graduated program is then spent on Level 2.

If you later lose your graduated licence for a zero tolerance breach or for losing all your points, the province gives no credit for a course you already passed.

A practice plan that builds up

1. Start in an empty car park: steering, smooth braking, moving off and stopping.
2. Move to quiet residential streets: right and left turns, stop signs, signalling at least 30 metres before turning.
3. Add busier roads: lane changes with shoulder checks, traffic lights, roundabouts and following at a two-second gap.
4. Practise parking: parallel parking, angle parking and parking on hills with the wheels turned correctly.
5. Add higher-speed roads, rain, dusk and winter conditions, with your supervisor beside you.
6. Finish with mock road tests on unfamiliar routes.

Common mistakes

• Practising only on the same short route. Vary the roads, the traffic and the time of day, always finishing before midnight.
• Carrying a younger sibling along on a practice drive. Level 1 allows no passengers except the supervisor.
• Choosing a supervisor with less than three years of experience, which breaks the Level 1 rules.
• Booking the road test the day you become eligible without enough practice in heavy traffic, since the test is held in fairly dense traffic where possible.

Test yourself: Supervised practice and driver education in New Brunswick

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

Go deeper

• Getting a Driver’s Licence in New Brunswick
• New Brunswick Demerit Points and Zero Tolerance for New Drivers
• New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook Study Guide