Category: Manitoba

Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The signs section of the MPI knowledge test comes from Chapter 4 of Manitoba’s Driver’s Handbook: sign shapes and colours, warning, construction, regulatory and guide signs, traffic signals, the transit priority signal and pavement markings. This study guide goes through Chapter 4 group by group, adds the crosswalk, school zone and railway rules from Chapters 6 and 7 that the signs point to, and flags the signals Manitoba learners most often mix up. It is for anyone preparing for the Class 5 learner knowledge test in Manitoba.

Key facts

• Shape tells you the type of sign, even in the dark or in snow: octagon = stop, downward triangle = yield, diamond = warning, pentagon = school area.
• Times on Manitoba signs use the 24-hour clock: 15:00 is 3 p.m.
• You may turn right on a red light after a full stop, unless a sign prohibits it.
• A green left arrow shown with a red light means left turn only. Turning right is illegal then, even with no sign.
• Speed fines double in designated construction zones.
• No parking within 3 m of a crosswalk, 15 m of a pedestrian corridor or 30 m of a railway crossing.

Sign shapes and colours in Manitoba

Shape	Meaning	What you do
Octagon (8 sides)	Stop. Used only for stop signs	Come to a complete stop
Triangle, point down	Yield the right-of-way	Slow down; stop if needed
Diamond	Warning of possible danger on or near the road	Slow down and keep full control
Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon	School area	Drive cautiously; children may be crossing
Triangle with the tips cut off	Slow-moving vehicle	Expect a much slower vehicle ahead
Crossbuck (X shape)	Railway crossing	Slow down, look both ways, yield to trains
Square or rectangle	Regulates traffic and directs drivers	Obey the instruction shown

The 24-hour clock on Manitoba signs

Times from 1 a.m. to noon read the same. After noon, subtract 12: 13:00 = 1 p.m., 16:00 = 4 p.m., 18:00 = 6 p.m., 23:00 = 11 p.m. 0:00 is midnight. Expect a question that asks whether a time-restricted sign applies right now.

Warning signs

Warning signs tell you about a hazard immediately ahead. Most are diamond-shaped. The handbook’s examples fall into five groups:

• Road shape: very sharp right turn, sharp right curve with a recommended maximum of 40 km/h, right curve, winding road, steep hill, bump, pavement ends, road ends (exit right or left).
• Lanes and merging: right lane ends, left lane ends, merging roadways, divided highway begins, divided highway ends, two-way traffic, traffic island ahead, reserved bus lane ahead.
• Intersections and control: hidden intersection, stop ahead, traffic signals ahead, roundabout ahead, maximum speed limit change ahead, prepare to stop.
• People and animals: pedestrian crosswalk ahead, school crosswalk ahead, playground ahead, school area (the yellow-green pentagon), deer crossing.
• Structures and surfaces: narrow bridge, bridge ices, low clearance (for example 4.1 m), road slippery when wet, hazard marker showing an obstruction, railway crossing ahead.

Signs learners mix up

• Recommended speed vs speed limit. The 40 km/h shown on a sharp curve or exit warning sign is a recommended maximum for that curve. A regulatory maximum speed sign is the legal limit.
• Prepare to stop. When its amber lights flash, the traffic signal ahead is red or about to turn red. Be ready to stop.
• Railway advance warning. The track symbol shows the angle at which the tracks cross the road.
• Reserved lane ahead in the cross-street. If the reserved lane is the curb lane and you are turning right, enter the second lane from the curb. If the reserved lane is in the median, turn into the curb lane.

Construction and maintenance signs

These warn of road construction and maintenance ahead. Slow down to a safe speed, obey any posted maximum, and follow flag persons’ instructions.

• designated construction zone: speed fines double
• construction zone ends
• maximum 40 km/h when meeting traffic
• detour ahead, barricade ahead, flagperson ahead, road work, construction area
• overhead wires, flying stones, part of the roadway removed, pavement edge drop-off, bump
• trucks entering on the right

Regulatory signs

Regulatory signs are the law. They tell you about speed limits, permitted turns, stopping and parking, and are usually square or rectangular.

Group	Signs in Chapter 4
Turns	No turns, no U-turn, no right turn, no left turn, no right turn on red signal, no right turn during the times shown, all traffic must turn right, all traffic must turn left
Lanes	This lane must turn right or left, this lane may go through or turn right only, keep right of this sign, keep right except to pass, slower traffic keep right, through traffic not permitted in this lane (must turn left at the next street or approach)
Entry and direction	Do not enter, do not enter except buses and cyclists, one way, two-way traffic, no trucks, truck route, buses only
Speed	Maximum speed signs (for example 90 km/h), maximum 60 km/h ahead, reduced speed school zone, school zone with restricted hours, school zone ends, speed fines doubled in designated construction zones
Passing	Do not pass, passing permitted
Stopping and parking	Stop here for red signal, parking permitted as shown, parking prohibited, parking for disabled persons only, do not stop to wait, snow route (no stopping during a declared snow emergency)
Pedestrians	Pedestrian crosswalk, school crosswalk, pedestrian corridor
Reserved lanes	Overhead sign reserving the curb lane for buses and cyclists at the times shown; this lane must turn right at the times shown except buses and cyclists

Guide and information signs

These tell you where you are and how to get places, and vary in size and colour. Examples in the handbook: Trans-Canada Highway (eastbound), Provincial Trunk Highway (westbound), Provincial Road (southbound), City Route, “A” for an alternative route that returns to your route, hospital, airport with scheduled service, travel information, camping and picnic sites, access for disabled persons, and cul-de-sac (dead end with a turnaround). One information sign also reminds you to stop for a school bus when its signals are flashing.

Stop, four-way stop and yield signs

• Stop sign: come to a complete stop at the correct place. Yield to pedestrians wanting to cross. Then move slowly forward for a better view and go when it is safe.
• Four-way stop: the vehicle that stops first goes first. If two or more stop at the same time, the vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right. After stopping and yielding to pedestrians, roll slowly forward to show you are going.
• Yield sign: slow down as you approach, check for pedestrians and traffic, and stop if needed. Yield signs are usually where a lane or road merges. Watch that you do not run into the car ahead while you look for traffic.

Traffic signals in Manitoba

Signal	What it means
Red	Stop before the marked crosswalk or, if there is none, before the sidewalk. After a full stop you may turn right, unless a sign prohibits it. You may also turn right or left from a one-way street onto another one-way street
Amber	The light is about to turn red. Slow down and stop; never speed up to make it. If you are already in the intersection, continue
Green	Go, but yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and vehicles already in the intersection. For a left turn, you may enter and wait, yielding to pedestrians and oncoming traffic; you may finish on amber or red
Flashing red	Come to a complete stop and go only when safe
Flashing amber	Slow down, be ready to stop, yield to pedestrians
Green arrow (steady or flashing)	Go only in the direction of the arrow, from the proper lane
Amber arrow	Oncoming traffic may get a green next. Slow down and stop, or finish your turn if already in the intersection
Flashing green left arrow	Left turn only, unless another signal allows other moves
Green U-turn arrow	U-turn allowed after yielding to pedestrians and vehicles already in the intersection
Green left arrow with a red light	Left turn only. Turning right or going straight is illegal, even with no sign
Green left arrow alone (no red)	You may also turn right, if safe and no sign prohibits it
Transit priority signal (white vertical bar on black)	Only buses may go. Always shown with a steady red, so everyone else stays stopped

The green-arrow-plus-red rule is the one learners get wrong most. If the red light is lit, the only legal move is the turn the arrow shows.

Pedestrian signals, crosswalks and pedestrian corridors

• Pedestrians have the right-of-way at marked and unmarked crosswalks. An unmarked crosswalk is the extension of the sidewalk across an intersection.
• Stop and yield to pedestrians crossing, unless they are on the far side of a divided highway separated by a median. A double solid line is not a physical separation.
• Never pass a vehicle that is slowing or stopped for pedestrians.
• Go only when pedestrians have safely crossed or reached the median of a divided road. All pedestrians may use school crosswalks.
• The walking figure lets pedestrians start crossing. The orange hand means do not start; those already crossing may finish, and they still have the right-of-way.
• At many signals, the walking figure appears only after someone presses the button for that crosswalk, so a person at the curb may be waiting for it. Pedestrians must not cross where a Pedestrian Prohibited sign is posted. At a pedestrian corridor, they signal by pressing the control button, if there is one, and extending an arm.
• Pedestrian corridors have large lit overhead signs with flashing amber lights and wide painted bars across the road.
• No parking or stopping within 3 m of a crosswalk, or within 15 m of a pedestrian corridor.

Pavement markings

Marking	Meaning
Yellow lines	Traffic moving in opposite directions
Broken yellow line	Passing permitted
Solid and broken yellow together	No passing if the solid line is on your side
Double solid yellow	No passing either way
White lines	Traffic moving in the same direction
Solid white line	No lane changes
Broken white line	Lane changes permitted
White stop line	Stop before this line
Painted left-turn islands	No traffic allowed inside them

You may turn left across a single or double solid line into a private road or driveway.

Reserved lanes (diamond lanes)

• With-flow reserved lane: a curb lane for designated vehicles, marked by double broken white lines and white diamonds. Drivers turning right may enter it anywhere in the block before the turn, and must then turn at the next intersection. Watch for cyclists using diamond lanes.
• Turning right onto a street with a diamond lane: turn into the first lane, as close to the curb as practicable, then signal and move out of the diamond lane as soon as it is safe.
• Contra-flow reserved lane: a curb lane on a one-way street where designated vehicles travel against the flow, marked by double solid yellow lines and white diamonds.

Cycling markings

• Bike lane: white lane lines with a diamond and bicycle symbol. Drivers may cross it to park or turn, but must watch for cyclists already in it, especially at intersections. Cyclists may leave it to turn or change lanes.
• Sharrow: a chevron with a bicycle symbol. It means share the lane; it is not a bike lane.
• When passing a cyclist or power-assisted bicycle, keep at least one metre of space. You may need to change lanes to do it.

School zones and railway crossings

School and playground areas

• It is illegal to pass a moving vehicle in a school area within 15 minutes of classes opening or closing, or whenever children are on the school grounds or near the road.
• Reduced-speed school zone limits can be as low as 30 km/h where the normal limit is under 80 km/h, and as low as 50 km/h where it is 80 km/h or more. Signs show whether they apply during school hours or at all times.
• Speeding in a school zone can bring a significant fine and a move down the Driver Safety Rating scale.

Railway crossings

• Trains always have the right-of-way.
• When stopping, stay at least 5 m from the nearest rail in a restricted speed area (such as Winnipeg or another urban municipality) and at least 15 m elsewhere.
• Do not shift gears on the tracks, drive around a closed or moving gate, or enter the crossing without room on the other side.
• Do not cross while the warning signals are on. The only exception: at a crossing with no gates inside a restricted speed area, you may cross after a complete stop if the train is stopped or a safe distance away and you can cross safely. If in doubt, wait.
• No parking within 30 m of the nearest rail unless a sign allows it.
• The number on the small sign under a railway crossing sign shows how many tracks there are. After a train passes, check for a second train before you cross.
• When the lights flash and the bells ring on a railway crossing sign, a train is approaching. Most crossings have no electronic signals, so checking is your job. Drivers often misjudge how fast a train is moving.
• Slow down at the advance warning sign so you can stop in time. About half of night-time crossing collisions involve a vehicle hitting a train.
• Buses, school buses and vehicles carrying hazardous materials may stop at every crossing, so be ready to stop behind them. If traffic is backed up past the tracks, wait at least 5 m from the crossing until there is room.

More rules from these chapters: sharing Manitoba roads, railway crossings in Canada, school bus stopping rules.

Test yourself: unofficial practice questions

These are original practice questions written from Manitoba’s handbook. They are not official MPI test questions.

1. A sign shows “No right turn 16:00 to 18:00”. Can you turn right at 5:30 p.m.? A) Yes B) No C) Only on a green arrow D) Only if no pedestrians. Answer: B. 17:30 is inside 16:00 to 18:00 (Chapter 4, sign shapes and the 24-hour clock).
2. You face a red light and a green left arrow. What can you do? A) Turn left only B) Turn left or right C) Go straight if clear D) Turn right after stopping. Answer: A. With the red lit, only the arrow’s turn is legal (Chapter 4, traffic control signals).
3. Two cars stop at a four-way stop at the same time. Who goes first? A) The car on the left B) The car on the right C) The larger vehicle D) Whoever signals first. Answer: B. The car on the left yields to the car on the right (Chapter 4, four-way stop signs).
4. What does a fluorescent yellow-green pentagon mean? A) Playground ahead B) School area C) Pedestrian corridor D) Slow-moving vehicle. Answer: B. (Chapter 4, sign shapes and colours.)
5. A signal shows a white vertical bar on a black background with a steady red. What do you do? A) Go straight B) Turn right C) Stay stopped; it is for buses D) Treat it as a flashing red. Answer: C. (Chapter 4, transit priority signal.)
6. A solid yellow line is on your side and a broken line on the other. Can you pass? A) Yes, if clear B) No C) Only at night D) Only to pass a cyclist. Answer: B. (Chapter 4, pavement markings.)
7. How close to a crosswalk may you park? A) 1 m B) 3 m C) 5 m D) 15 m. Answer: B. No parking or stopping within 3 m (Chapter 7, crosswalks).
8. You stop for a railway crossing in a rural area outside any town. How far from the nearest rail? A) At least 2 m B) At least 5 m C) At least 15 m D) At least 30 m. Answer: C. 15 m in a non-restricted speed area (Chapter 6, railway crossings).

Format and pass mark for the real test: MPI knowledge test.

Common questions

Can you turn right on a red light in Manitoba?

Yes, after a complete stop, unless a sign prohibits it. You may also turn left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street.

What does a flashing amber light mean in Manitoba?

Slow down, be prepared to stop, and yield to pedestrians.

What is the speed limit in a Manitoba school zone?

It is set by the posted signs. It can be as low as 30 km/h where the normal limit is under 80 km/h, and 50 km/h where it is 80 km/h or more.

Are construction zone fines higher in Manitoba?

Yes. Speed fines double in designated construction zones.

What is a sharrow?

A painted chevron and bicycle telling drivers and cyclists to share the lane. It is not a bike lane.

Which Manitoba handbook chapter covers signs?

Chapter 4, Signs and Signals. Crosswalks and school zones are in Chapter 7, and railway crossings in Chapter 6.

Related: learning to drive in Manitoba, Manitoba learner stage rules, Manitoba lane changes, curves and turning, Canadian road signs compared.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook, Chapter 4: Signs and Signals” (sign shapes and colours, warning, construction and maintenance, regulatory, guide and information, stop, four-way stop and yield signs, traffic control signals, transit priority signal, pavement markings, reserved lanes, cycling pavement markings) (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook, Chapter 6: Railway Crossings” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook, Chapter 7: Crosswalks, Pedestrian Corridors, School and Playground Areas” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide covers the everyday driving skills in Chapters 5, 6, 8 and 9 of the MPI Driver’s Handbook: starting out, lane changes, curves, turns, roundabouts, passing, backing, parking and vehicle equipment. These are the skills the Manitoba road test checks under vehicle control and rules of the road. In Manitoba you signal at least 30 m before a turn, or 150 m outside cities, towns and villages, and you shoulder check before every lane change.

Starting out and lane changes

• Hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o’clock. Don’t palm the wheel or steer with one finger.
• Accelerate smoothly and gradually from a stop, foot flat on the pedal with your heel on the floor. Too much gas on a slippery road can spin the wheels and cost you control.
• Automatic: come to a complete stop before shifting between forward and reverse. A lower gear on a steep downhill keeps your speed down and your brakes cool.
• Manual: start the engine in neutral with the clutch fully down. Shift down if the engine lugs and up if it races. Take your foot off the clutch after each shift, don’t hold the car on a hill with the clutch, and don’t coast to a stop. Your owner’s manual gives the shift pattern and speeds.
• Pulling away from the curb: signal away from the curb (or use a hand signal), shoulder check, then move.
• Changing lanes: check the mirror, signal, shoulder check, and move only when it is safe.
• Blind spots: the inside mirror and the side mirror each miss areas beside and behind you. You only see them all by using both mirrors and a shoulder check.
• You may cross several lanes with one signal and one shoulder check if you can do it safely. If you can only use mirrors, change one lane at a time.
• Never change lanes in an intersection. Signal and check even to move around parked cars.
• Hand signals: left arm straight out for a left turn, bent up for a right turn, bent down for a stop.

Curves

1. Slow down before the curve and avoid braking in it.
2. If you enter too fast, brake gently. Don’t jam the brakes.
3. In a left-hand curve, steer toward the centre of the road but not over it. In a right-hand curve, keep to the right.
4. Watch for oncoming drivers who drift into your lane.

Turning rules in Manitoba

Decide well ahead where you will turn and get into the right lane using the lane change rules. Then signal at least 30 m before the turn, or 150 m outside cities, towns and villages. In a manual car, shift to the proper gear before you turn.

Right turns

• Turn from the lane nearest the curb into the lane nearest the curb. If that lane is blocked within 30 m, you may use the next lane if no traffic is coming into it.
• Yield to pedestrians and to cyclists on your right.
• Where a white line marks the shoulder, stay left of it. Don’t drive on the shoulder.
• On a wide road with no white line, keep well over to the right. Watch for anyone driving illegally on the shoulder.
• On a high-speed highway, shoulders are for stopped or disabled vehicles, but get off the travel lanes as quickly as you reasonably can when fast traffic is following you.
• A right turn on red is allowed after a full stop unless a sign says otherwise. It is never allowed when a green left arrow shows with a red light.

Left turns

From	To	How
Two-way	Two-way	Move close to the centre line. Enter to the right of the dividing line and turn left of the centre of the intersection. On a four-lane highway outside a city, town or village, move right after the turn if traffic permits.
One-way	One-way	From the lane nearest the left curb into the lane nearest the left curb. A left on red is allowed after stopping and yielding, unless a sign says otherwise.
One-way	Two-way	From the lane nearest the left curb into the lane just right of the centre line.
Two-way	One-way	From the lane next to the centre line into the lane nearest the left curb.
Double left-turn lanes	Two lanes	Stay in your matching lane: inner to inner, second to second.
Stop sign	Street with a boulevard	Stop fully. Go when nothing is coming from the left or turning in front of you. If traffic is coming from the right, establish your car in the intersection, then finish left of the centre, in the boulevard area.
Any street	Driveway or back lane	Signal and move into the proper lane before you turn left.

Before any left turn, check for signs restricting it, then watch for pedestrians, traffic from the left and right, vehicles in the intersection and oncoming traffic. Never enter an intersection if it is unsafe or blocked, or if backed-up traffic means you can’t clear it.

Left turn on a green light: move to just before the centre of the intersection and wait there. Turn when there is a big enough gap and no pedestrians in your path. If the light turns amber or red while you are already in the intersection, complete the turn when it is safe. If you are not yet in the intersection when the light changes, don’t start the turn.

U-turns and turnabouts

U-turns are banned on curves, near the crest of a hill without 150 m of clear view, and where a sign prohibits them. MPI advises against U-turns unless there is a U-turn signal. Go around the block instead. In rural areas, carry on to a side road and make a regular turn back onto the highway, because a U-turn at highway speeds is extremely dangerous. The handbook also describes a three-point turn (backing into a driveway or intersection) and a turnabout on a dead-end street. In both, stop parallel to the curb and no more than 45 cm from it before you start. With no curb, stop as far off the travelled road as you can. Don’t block an entrance, an intersection or other traffic.

Three-point turn: check traffic and your blind spot, and signal right before slowing, unless a side road or driveway lies before your stopping point. Stop, then check your mirrors and right shoulder, with your right signal or four-way flashers on. Steer sharply right and reverse slowly into the lane or driveway until you are behind the sidewalk with a clear view. Signal left, shift to forward, check both ways and steer left into the traffic lane.

Dead-end turnabout: stop as above, check your mirrors and left shoulder, and signal left. Steer sharply left across the road and stop at the far side. Reverse with the wheel sharply right until you face the new direction, then drive ahead. Reverse only once, and never back over the edge, shoulder or curb. After either turn, accelerate smoothly to blend with traffic.

Roundabouts in Manitoba

1. Slow to the posted speed or less. Be ready to yield to pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles already in the roundabout.
2. Enter when no traffic is coming from your left. If two vehicles arrive together, the one on the right goes first.
3. Once you are in the roundabout, you have the right-of-way over entering vehicles.
4. Signal before your exit, and yield to pedestrians and cyclists as you leave.

Speed, following and passing

• Unless posted, the limit is 90 km/h in rural areas and 50 km/h in urban areas. Driving so slowly that you block traffic is also unsafe.
• Use at least a four-second following distance in ideal conditions.
• To measure it, pick a marker. When the vehicle ahead passes it, count one thousand and one up to one thousand and four. If you reach the marker first, you are too close. If someone follows you too closely, slow gradually to give them time to react.
• Passing: check ahead, check mirrors, signal, check your left blind spot, check ahead again. Return when the passed vehicle shows in your rear-view mirror, after a right shoulder check and signal.
• You close on oncoming traffic at twice your speed or more, so gaps are hard to judge. On highways, watch for vehicles parked on the other side that may pull out.
• When someone passes you, slow down and keep as far right as you can. Be ready for wind turbulence from large trucks.
• Never pass: on the shoulder, beside a vehicle that has stopped for a pedestrian, in a school area at restricted times, where the road ahead isn’t clear, or in highway construction.
• Passing on the right is allowed only when the vehicle is turning left, on one-way streets, or on streets with marked lanes.
• Exceeding the speed limit while passing is illegal.
• Expressways: rear-end crashes are the main risk at entrances. In the entrance lane, match traffic and keep space ahead. If you may have to slow or stop, touch your brakes to warn drivers behind and stop only just before the merge lane begins. Use the merge lane to match speed and don’t stop at its end. To leave, move to the exit lane early and hold your speed until you are fully on the ramp, then slow to the posted speed. If you miss an exit, go on to the next one. Never back up.
• At an uncontrolled intersection, the vehicle on the left yields to the vehicle on the right.
• Both vehicles must slow at an uncontrolled intersection, and the driver with the right-of-way must still take care to avoid a collision.
• Coming out of a private road, lane, driveway or parking lot: stop before the sidewalk and yield to all pedestrians and traffic.
• Funeral processions: yield to them. Vehicles with lit headlights following a lead car, which may show a flashing purple light, may go through a red light or stop sign with caution if traffic and local bylaws permit.

Backing up

• Check your mirrors and look over your shoulder before backing, including for small children.
• To back straight or to the right, look over your right shoulder. To back to the left, look over your left shoulder.
• Never pass close behind a truck that is backing. Most trailers are about 2.5 m wide and hide everything behind them.

Parallel parking: the road test method

The Manitoba road test asks you to back into a space of about 1.85 m by 7.5 m. You get three attempts or four minutes.

1. Check your mirrors. Warn drivers behind by flashing your brake lights about three times or using a hand signal, turn on your right signal, then stop about 1 m beside the car ahead of the space (Vehicle B), with your rear bumper level with its rear bumper.
2. Check mirrors and blind spots. Back slowly, steering sharply right until you are at about 45 degrees to the curb. Stop when your steering wheel lines up with Vehicle B’s rear bumper.
3. Straighten the wheels and keep backing until the right end of your front bumper has passed Vehicle B’s rear bumper.
4. Steer sharply left as you continue slowly back, keeping clear of Vehicle B. Your right rear wheel should end up close to the curb.
5. Pull forward, steering right, until you are parallel to the curb, no more than 45 cm from it, and centred in the space.

Touching a pole, mounting the curb, or driving between the poles that represent the front or back car fails the exercise.

Angle, reverse-angle and hill parking

• Angle parking: signal, slow down, check traffic ahead and behind, and approach about one vehicle width from the parked cars. When your front is level with the back of the stall, steer sharply in. Shoulder check both sides before backing out.
• Back-in (reverse) angle parking: look for the sign, stop when your back bumper lines up with the parked car ahead, then reverse in. To leave, signal, check for oncoming traffic and pull out slowly, with a better view of pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles.
• Hills: put the car in Park (automatic) or reverse or low gear (manual), and set the parking brake firmly.

Parking on a hill	Turn the front wheels
Uphill with a curb	Away from the curb
Downhill with a curb	Toward the curb
No curb, uphill or downhill	Slightly to the right

Where you can’t park in Manitoba

Place	Minimum distance
Fire hydrant (point on the curb opposite it)	3 m
Crosswalk	3 m, and never on it
Stop sign or traffic sign or signal at an intersection	9 m
Pedestrian corridor	15 m
Fire station driveway	6 m, unless posted
Nearest rail of a railway crossing	30 m, unless posted

Also illegal: parking on a sidewalk, across a driveway, lane or intersection, beside a car that is already parked (double parking), at a curve outside a city, town or village where your car can’t be seen from 60 m in each direction, or anywhere your car becomes a hazard or breaks a law or bylaw. Spaces for people with disabilities are only for a vehicle showing a valid permit and carrying the permit holder.

Vehicle equipment Manitoba law requires

You are responsible for keeping your vehicle safe, so check it thoroughly at least twice a year. Police can order defects repaired immediately. If you don’t comply, your registration may be suspended until a mechanic certifies the repairs.

• Brakes: a passenger car at 30 km/h must stop within 7.6 m, and a truck or van under 4,540 kg within 9 m.
• Tires: replace when tread is under 1.6 mm. Studded tires are illegal from 30 April to 1 October. Use tires of the same construction and size, and check the pressure at least monthly with a gauge, ideally when they are cool. Replace any tire with deep cuts, cracks, blisters or bulges. Wear at the edges points to under-inflation, and wear in the centre to over-inflation.
• Lights: working high and low beams, daytime running lights on vehicles built from 1 December 1989, turn signals, rear lights, a centre brake light on cars built after 1986, and a plate light.
• Horn: must be heard at least 60 m away.

Mirrors: every vehicle needs a clear rear view. Vans, trucks, campers and cars pulling trailers need outside mirrors on both sides. Remove extended mirrors when you aren’t towing.
Wipers and washer: working front wipers, and a working washer on vehicles from 1971 on.
Speedometer and odometer: both must work, and altering an odometer is illegal.
Muffler: required, and it is illegal to bypass or gut one. A leaky muffler can cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
Body: passenger cars need front and rear bumpers, and it is illegal to raise or lower the original suspension.

• Windows: from 1 November to 31 March, your vehicle must keep the windshield, rear window and side windows free of frost.
• Loads: a load sticking out 1 m or more at the back needs a red flag by day and a red light or reflector at night.
• Seatbelts: everyone wears one, snug over the shoulder and across the hips, flat, and never under the arm. The driver is responsible for securing every minor. It is illegal to drive with a belt removed or modified to make it less effective.

Child seats: rear-facing from birth until the seat’s limits, then forward-facing with the tether always attached, then a booster until the child is at least 145 cm, 36 kg or nine years old. The rear middle seat is safest. Use the seatbelt or the Universal Anchorage System, not both, and the seat should move no more than one inch. Never secure a booster with a lap belt alone, and keep an empty booster buckled.
Gauges and airbags: know your oil pressure, temperature, charging and fuel gauges. Don’t drive if the temperature gauge reads high, and check your manual if a warning light comes on. Airbags add protection, mainly in head-on and side crashes.
Emissions: keep your car tuned and your tires inflated, don’t idle while parked, walk short trips or take the bus when you can, and check fuel efficiency before buying or leasing.

• You may leave a running vehicle unattended only to warm it up or defrost the windshield.
• Look for traffic and cyclists before opening a door. If you leave the engine running, MPI recommends a spare key and locking the door.

Common questions

How far before a turn do you signal in Manitoba?

At least 30 m. Outside cities, towns and villages, at least 150 m.

Can you turn left on a red light in Manitoba?

Only from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after stopping and yielding to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign says otherwise.

Who goes first at a Manitoba roundabout?

Traffic already in the roundabout. When entering, yield to traffic from your left. If two cars arrive together, the one on the right enters first.

How close to the curb do you need to park?

No more than 45 cm when parallel parking. On the road test, the front and back of the car must be 46 cm (18 inches) or closer.

When can you pass on the right in Manitoba?

Only when the vehicle ahead is turning left, on one-way streets, or on streets with marked lanes. Never on the shoulder.

Is a U-turn legal in Manitoba?

Sometimes. It is banned on curves, near hilltops without 150 m of clear view, and where signs prohibit it. MPI advises using a U-turn signal or going around the block.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Related: the Manitoba road test, the MPI knowledge test and sharing Manitoba roads.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Starting Out”, “Starting”, “Lane Changing”, “Hand Signals” and “Curves” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: General Rules of Turning”, “Right Turns”, “Left Turns”, “U-turns” and “Roundabouts” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Speed”, “Following Safely”, “Passing”, “Entering and Leaving an Expressway” and “Right-of-Way” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Backing Up”, “Backing Test”, “Parallel Parking”, “Angle Parking”, “Reverse Angle Parking”, “Parking on a Hill”, “Illegal Parking”, “Three-Point Turn” and “Dead-End Street” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Required Equipment”, “Seatbelts” and “Parking Pointers” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Blind Spots”, “Circle Check”, “Other Equipment”, “Infant and Child Car Seats” and “Environmental Consequences of Driving” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Traffic Control Signals” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Testing for your Class 5 licence” (mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Irina Yankovaya, Pexels

This guide covers Chapters 10 and 11 of the MPI Driver’s Handbook: driving in Manitoba’s snow, ice, gravel, fog and darkness, and what to do in an emergency or collision. Two points learners often get wrong: on gravel you need at least six seconds of following distance, and you don’t have to report a property-damage-only collision to police in Manitoba, whatever the cost of the damage.

Snow, ice and sleet

• Start slowly and test your steering and brakes gently.
• Reduce speed. Even snow tires can slide on ice or packed snow.
• Without anti-lock brakes: use steady pressure without locking the wheels (threshold braking). With anti-lock brakes: press firmly and hold, and you can still steer.
• Leave more following distance than the usual four seconds.
• Watch for slippery bridges, blind intersections, snow plows and graders.
• Keep every window clear and your lights on. Manitoba law requires a vehicle to keep the windshield, rear window and side windows free of frost from 1 November to 31 March.
• Check that your defroster and wipers work. You are responsible for keeping full control in any conditions.
• Studded tires are illegal between 30 April and 1 October.

Prairie whiteouts, fog and blowing snow

By law, your headlights must be on whenever visibility drops to 60 m. When you can barely see:

1. Slow down sharply and use low beams. Fog lamps are better still.
2. Slow further when you see lights ahead. They could be a car in the middle of the road or one that has stopped.
3. At greatly reduced speed, turn on your hazard lights.
4. If you can barely see, pull carefully off the pavement, stop, and wait for visibility to improve.

Winter survival advice for the whole country is in winter driving in Canada for new drivers.

What to keep in your car in a Manitoba winter

Kit	Contents (MPI handbook)
Standard	Shovel, tow rope or chain, booster cables, flashlight, first-aid kit, basic tool kit, flares, fire extinguisher
Winter	Standard kit plus hatchet, chains or metal mats, scraper, snow brush, gas line antifreeze, winter clothing, boots, hat, mitts and blankets
Winter survival	Both kits plus waterproof matches, compact stove and fuel, candles, plastic or canvas sheet, light rope, blaze orange flag, carbon dioxide indicator, foil, tissues, metal cans with lids, dry foods and soups, plastic utensils

Keep your fuel tank full in winter. If you get stranded, MPI says your chances are better if you stay with your vehicle. Plug in your block heater on a timer about four hours before you drive, not overnight.

Gravel roads

• Slow down as you move onto gravel. Stopping distances are longer.
• Avoid sudden swerves, hard braking and fast acceleration.
• Stay at least six seconds behind other vehicles, more on washboard, potholes or loose gravel. This also keeps you out of dust and flying rocks.
• Avoiding a rollover: if your wheels drift off the edge, don’t jerk the wheel or slam the brakes. Ease off the gas, follow the edge of the road, then steer back gradually.

Northern winter roads

Manitoba’s winter roads to remote northern communities cross muskeg, rivers and lakes and have no posted speed limits. The recommended limit for vehicles of seven tonnes or more is 15 km/h on all ice roads. Don’t travel until a section officially opens. Bring proper clothing, medication, enough fuel, survival gear and a cellular or satellite phone. Tell someone at your destination when you expect to arrive. Pass and meet other vehicles with great care, because swirling snow cuts visibility. Heavy trucks and slow maintenance equipment use these roads, and MPI recommends night travel so traffic is easier to see. Road users are responsible for removing their own garbage and abandoned vehicles.

Hills

• Slow down at the top of a hill to allow for the longer braking distance on the way down.
• Before a steep descent, shift to a lower gear so the engine helps you brake. Never coast downhill in neutral or with the clutch down.
• Don’t pass near the crest, where your view ends. Stay behind slow vehicles until you are over the top, and obey the markings and signs.

Night driving

• Low beams light about 30 m ahead and high beams about 110 m. Never drive faster than you can stop within your lit distance.
• Dim your high beams at least 450 m from oncoming vehicles and 60 m when following another vehicle.
• Headlights go on from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise.
• Use high beams only in open country with no vehicles near. Use low beams under street lights, in fog and when following or meeting another vehicle.
• Headlights on in the daytime make you easier to see and cut your collision risk.
• If you are dazzled, look at the right edge of the road and slow down until your eyes recover.
• For glare from behind, adjust your mirror or use the day-night setting. Keep your headlights and both sides of the windshield clean and your interior lights off. Watch for pedestrians, stopped vehicles and signs, which are harder to see at night. If you must stop, pull onto the shoulder and use your flashers or flares.

Skids, blowouts and leaving the pavement

Situation	What to do
Skid	Take your foot off the gas or brake, and look and steer where you want to go. Straighten the wheels as the car straightens. To prevent skids, slow down before danger spots and avoid sudden acceleration, braking or steering. Many injury skids happen on dry roads.
Tire blowout	Grip the wheel, ease off the gas, and brake only once you have slowed enough to stay in control. A front blowout pulls the car toward that side, and a rear one makes the back sway. Don’t turn onto the shoulder until you have control. If it pushes you onto the shoulder, stay there and coast to a stop. Losing a wheel calls for the same steps.
Wheels on the shoulder	Stay on the shoulder, steer straight, ease off the gas and brake gently. Ease back on when traffic allows, without overshooting the centre line.
Oncoming car in your lane	Brake hard, move right onto the shoulder and sound your horn. Never swerve left. If you still can’t avoid a crash, steer for something that absorbs energy, such as a bush or snowbank, and take a glancing blow rather than a head-on one.
Car in water	You have only about one minute. Seatbelts off, oldest children first so you can help the youngest, open or break a window right away, send children out first, then get out.
Live wires on the car	Stay inside and drive clear if you can. If you can’t get free, turn on your hazard lights, move off the road as far as you can, stay inside, and warn rescuers to keep away and call police. If you must leave because of fire, jump clear without touching the car and the ground at the same time.
Animal in your path	Brake firmly and avoid swerving.
Emergency stop	Without anti-lock brakes, slamming the brakes locks the wheels and you lose steering, so use threshold braking if you have practised it. Anti-lock brakes leave you some steering when the brakes are fully on. Check your owner’s manual.
Vehicle on fire	Turn off the ignition at once, as this is usually an electrical short. Put out a small fire with an extinguisher, earth, sand or heavy clothing. If it is large, move away and call the fire department.
Wet brakes	Test them lightly after deep water, since they may pull to one side or not work at all. Dry them by driving slowly and braking lightly.
Flooded engine	Too much gas and not enough air stops it from firing. Check your owner’s manual.

Breakdowns

• Get all four wheels off the travelled part of the highway if you can.
• Use your hazard lights. Place flares or reflective signs 60 m in front of and behind the vehicle.
• If you can’t move the vehicle, raise the hood to warn other drivers.

Manitoba collision rules: when do you have to report to police?

Situation	Report to police?
Property damage only, any amount	No
Someone seriously injured (hospitalized) or killed, and no report made to an officer at the scene	Yes, within 7 days
Unlicensed driver, unregistered or unidentified vehicle, or you couldn’t get the other party’s details	Yes, within 7 days
You suspect drugs or alcohol in the other driver contributed	Yes, within 7 days
Domestic animal hurt or killed and not removed from the road	Yes
Domestic animal hurt or killed and already removed from the road, with no police report	Report to the owner if known, otherwise to the municipal clerk

At every collision, you must:

1. Stop immediately and check for injuries. Call 911 in Winnipeg, Brandon and most rural areas. Elsewhere, contact local police or the RCMP.
2. If no one is seriously hurt, move the vehicles off a major road as soon as possible.
3. Give your name and address, licence number and expiry, vehicle registration, and insurance policy number to anyone whose vehicle or property is damaged. If you aren’t the owner, give the owner’s details too.
4. If you hit an unattended vehicle or property, try to find the owner. If you can’t, leave your name and address on it.
5. Report the claim to MPI, by phone if you like, with your licence, registration and collision details to hand. You need a damage estimate before repairs. Your adjusting team checks your coverage, assesses fault and can explain your repair and appeal options.

If you come upon a collision

• Park off the road. For serious injury, call 911 or the nearest police station and ambulance.
• Turn off the ignition of the vehicles involved to prevent a fire.
• Place flares or reflective signs 60 m in front of and behind the scene, or use your four-way flashers. Have people stand off the road on both approaches to warn traffic, and put out the flares when they are no longer needed.
• Don’t move an injured person unless the vehicle is on fire, and then support the head and spine firmly. You may help someone who is pinned but unhurt to get free.
• Even without first-aid training, you can clear the airway of an unconscious person, press a clean cloth on bleeding (not on a serious head injury) and stay with the injured until help comes.
• Tell the ambulance attendant and police what help you gave.

Common questions

Do I have to call the police after a fender bender in Manitoba?

No. If only property is damaged, you don’t have to report to police, no matter how much the damage costs. You must still exchange details and report the claim to MPI.

When must I have my headlights on in Manitoba?

From half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise, and any time visibility is 60 m or less.

Are winter tires mandatory in Manitoba?

The handbook bans studded tires from 30 April to 1 October. Check the current winter tire rule with MPI.

What following distance should I use on gravel?

At least six seconds, and more on rough or loose gravel.

Should I stay with my car if I get stuck in a storm?

Yes. MPI says your chances of survival are better when you stay with your vehicle.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Related: sharing Manitoba roads, Manitoba turning and backing and wildlife collisions in Canada.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Ice, Sleet and Snow”, “Gravel Roads”, “Winter Roads”, “Reduced Visibility” and “Night Driving” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Emergency Equipment” and “Fuel-Efficient Driving” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Skid Control”, “Blowouts”, “Running Off the Pavement”, “Direct Collision”, “Vehicle in Water”, “Vehicle Electrical Wires” and “Disabled Vehicles” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Hills”, “Daytime Use of Headlights”, “Losing a Wheel”, “Emergency Braking”, “Flooded Engine”, “Wet Brakes” and “Vehicle on Fire” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Collision”, “At the Scene of a Collision” and “Claim Reporting” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Required Equipment” and “Animals” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide covers Chapter 7 of the MPI Driver’s Handbook, Sharing the Road, plus the related rules for school buses, emergency vehicles, farm equipment and off-road vehicles. In Manitoba, you must stop at least 5 m from a school bus with flashing red lights, from either direction, unless a physical median or ditch separates you. When passing a cyclist, you must leave at least 1 m.

School buses in Manitoba

• Flashing amber lights: the bus is about to stop. Slow down and prepare to stop.
• Flashing red lights and stop arm out: do not pass from either direction. Stop at least 5 m from the bus.
• Stay stopped until the red lights go off and the stop arm folds in.
• Exception: you don’t stop if you are going the opposite way on a road divided by a physical median or ditch. A double solid line is not a physical separation.
• Illegally passing a school bus brings a large fine and moves you down the Driver Safety Rating scale.

For how Manitoba compares with other provinces, see school bus stopping rules across Canada.

School zones and playgrounds

• You may not pass a moving vehicle in a school area within 15 minutes of classes opening or closing, or at any time children are on the school grounds or near the road.
• Reduced school-zone limits can be as low as 30 km/h where the normal limit is under 80 km/h, and 50 km/h where it is 80 km/h or more. Signs show when they apply.
• School safety patrols in high-visibility vests and flags mean children are nearby.
• Drive slowly and be ready to stop suddenly when a child is on or near the road, or close to a school or playground.

Cyclists: how much room to give

When you overtake a cyclist or power-assisted bicycle going the same way, keep at least 1 m between your vehicle and the rider. Depending on where they are in the lane, that may mean changing lanes. Give more room at highway speeds.

Don’t pass a cyclist: in a construction zone narrowed to one lane, in a lane too narrow to pass at a safe distance, or in a yield lane.

Expect a cyclist to move toward the middle of the lane when they are avoiding potholes, puddles or construction, staying clear of opening car doors, turning left, going straight past a right-turn-only lane, passing slower traffic, or riding on a one-way street with more than three lanes. The law asks them to ride as close to the right as is practicable, which leaves them room for judgment.

• Turning left: yield to oncoming cyclists, just as you would to cars.
• Turning right: yield to cyclists on your right. Don’t pass a cyclist just before you turn right.
• Check for cyclists before opening your door, and dim your lights for oncoming cyclists at night.
• Cyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers and must obey the same signs and signals. Only their position on the road differs.
• Slow down near cyclists, leave a safe following distance in case one stops suddenly, and watch for hazards they may steer around, such as debris.
• Children on bicycles can be unpredictable and many don’t signal. Slow down, and learn the cyclist hand signals for stopping and turning.

Pedestrians

• Pedestrians have the right-of-way at marked and unmarked crosswalks. An unmarked crosswalk is the extension of a sidewalk across an intersection.
• Never pass a vehicle that is slowing or stopped for pedestrians.
• Go only when pedestrians have safely crossed or reached the median of a divided road. All pedestrians may use school crosswalks.
• No parking or stopping within 3 m of a crosswalk, or within 15 m of a pedestrian corridor (the crossings with large lit overhead signs and flashing amber lights).
• If a blind person raises their cane, stop and give them the right-of-way. Don’t rev your engine or sound your horn near a guide dog.
• If you drive a hybrid, your engine may make no sound near a blind person, so take extra care.

Farm equipment on Manitoba roads

• Tractors, combines and other farm equipment travel at a maximum of 40 km/h. At highway speed you close on them faster than you expect.
• Implements can take up more than half the road, or a whole bridge.
• Slow down well ahead. Look at the machine carefully to judge its full width and length before you pass or meet it.
• Oversize loads may have pilot vehicles with a yellow flashing light and a lit “WIDE LOAD” sign, running 100 to 500 m ahead of or behind the load.
• To drive heavy or agricultural equipment on provincial highways and urban roads, you need at least a Class 5 Intermediate licence. Learners may only do so with a supervising driver.
• Those roads don’t include rural municipal roads, service roads or winter roads run by a local government. If you are suspended, prohibited or disqualified, you can be charged for operating this equipment on provincial highways or urban roads. A drug and alcohol restriction on your licence also applies to this equipment on any road.

Snowmobiles, ATVs and other off-road vehicles

• MPI defines an off-road vehicle as any motorized vehicle built for travel on land, water, ice, snow, marsh or other natural terrain, such as snowmobiles, ATVs and dirt bikes.
• Class 5L learners may not drive off-road vehicles along or across highways. From the Intermediate Stage you may.
• Manitoba’s impaired-driving laws cover off-road vehicles too. If you are convicted of certain Criminal Code offences, you are also disqualified from driving an off-road vehicle.

Large trucks and transit buses

• Big trucks have deep “No-Zone” blind spots behind and on both sides. If you can’t see the truck’s mirrors, the driver can’t see you.
• Stay well back of a truck, and don’t stay in a side blind spot, because the driver may change lanes.
• After passing a truck, wait until you can see its whole cab in your rear-view mirror before pulling in.
• Trucks may swing left to turn right. Never squeeze between the truck and the curb.
• A 12.2 m transit bus has a blind spot of 4.3 m on the right, 1.5 m on the left and 12.2 m behind.
• Let a signalling transit bus pull out. Buses display “Please Yield” decals on the back.
• Keep a safe distance from buses, since many collisions are vehicles rear-ending them. Don’t assume a bus will stop at every stop.
• Turn right only from the extreme right lane. Turning right from the second lane in front of a bus is illegal, so wait behind it. If it sits with its hazard lights on a short distance from the intersection, signal and tap your horn before pulling around the front.
• Passengers may be standing, so don’t cut in front of a bus and force it to brake. Some stop lines are set back to give large vehicles room to turn, and buses have special turning privileges at some intersections. Shoulder check before opening your door so you don’t hit a passing bus or truck.

Emergency vehicles and tow trucks

• When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren: clear the intersection, pull as close as possible to the right edge, and stop until it passes. On a one-way street, pull to the nearest curb.
• If you are stopped at a red light or stop sign and blocking its path, go through with caution to clear the way. The alarm may be a horn, gong, bell or siren, and the lights may be flashing red, red and blue, or alternating headlights.
• When passing a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or enforcement vehicle with warning lights on: slow to no more than 40 km/h where the limit is under 80 km/h, or 60 km/h where it is 80 km/h or more. Move to the farthest lane if it is safe.
• The move-over rule applies to drivers on either side of an undivided highway. Speeding past can bring a significant fine and a drop on the Driver Safety Rating scale.

More detail: slow down, move over across Canada.

Construction zones and the zipper merge

• Slow down, watch for workers, leave extra space and be ready to stop. Lanes may close or traffic may be redirected.
• Obey a flagperson, including a signal to slow down or stop.
• In a designated construction zone, marked by a special sign at each end, speeding fines double whether or not workers or equipment are present and whether or not the limit has been lowered. A conviction can also move you down the Driver Safety Rating scale.
• Zipper merge: where signs ask for it at a lane closure, use both lanes up to the merge point, then take turns. If you are changing lanes, signal. If you are in the open lane, let one vehicle in.

Animals and horses

MPI says Manitoba has about 10,000 animal-vehicle collisions a year, many involving deer. Deer are most active in the fall, with peak danger from sunset to midnight and just after sunrise. If an animal crosses your path, brake firmly and avoid swerving. When passing horses, slow down, leave plenty of room and don’t sound your horn. See moose, deer and caribou on Canadian roads.

Watch for wildlife signs and shining eyes, and use high beams when you can. Deer travel in groups, so expect more than one. If an animal is in your path, dim your lights so it doesn’t freeze and give one long blast of the horn. If you can’t avoid hitting a very large animal such as a moose, get below the windshield. After a collision, move safely off the road, call the local road authority and don’t approach the animal.

Riders and carriage drivers have the right to use the road. Be ready to stop if a rider signals you to, and speed up only once you are well past.

Common questions

Do you have to stop for a school bus on a divided highway in Manitoba?

Only if you are travelling behind it, or if the road is divided by just painted lines. If a physical median or ditch separates you and you are going the other way, you don’t stop.

How far do you stop from a school bus in Manitoba?

At least 5 m, whichever direction you are approaching from.

How much space do you give a cyclist in Manitoba?

At least 1 m when passing, and more at higher speeds.

Can I pass farm equipment on a solid line?

The handbook says a solid line on your side means you must not pass. Wait for a broken line and a clear view of the full length of the machine.

Can I ride a snowmobile across a highway with a learner’s licence?

No. Class 5L learners may not drive off-road vehicles along or across highways.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Related: Manitoba turning and lane changes and Manitoba poor driving conditions.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: School Buses”, “Emergency Vehicles”, “Transit Buses” and “No-Zone Around Large Vehicles” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Construction Zones” and “Zipper Merge” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Crosswalks”, “Pedestrian Corridors”, “People Who are Blind” and “School and Playground Areas” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Motorist and Cyclists”, “Understanding a Cyclist’s Position on the Road” and “Passing a Cyclist” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Farm Equipment”, “Pilot Vehicles”, “Operating Heavy and Agricultural Equipment” and “Animals” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Impaired Driving” and “Licence Suspension for Conviction” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing Class 5” and “Pavement Markings” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Manitoba does not use a demerit point total like most provinces. Instead, MPI places every driver on the Driver Safety Rating (DSR) scale, and your place sets what you pay for your driver’s licence and vehicle insurance. Safe years move you up the scale and lower your premiums. Convictions, at-fault claims and impaired-driving suspensions move you down and raise them. New drivers start at the base level, 0.

Key facts

• New Manitoba drivers start at the base level for both licence and vehicle premiums.
• Each year of safe driving moves you up the scale.
• Above base you earn merits and pay less. Below base you carry demerits and pay more.
• MPI sends a notice each year showing your level and what you owe, based on your driving record for the past year.

How the Driver Safety Rating scale works

The handbook’s chart shows merit levels above base and demerit levels below it, from +15 down to -20. MPI’s own website says that for policies starting on or after 1 April 2026, the scale has 41 levels, with a new +20 level at the top. Check your level and your premiums on your yearly MPI notice.

What happens	Effect on your DSR
A year of safe driving	Move up the scale
Traffic conviction (for example, passing a school bus, speeding in a construction zone)	Move down
At-fault claim	Move down
Using a hand-operated device while driving (on conviction)	5 levels down, plus a $672 fine
Tiered Administrative Licence Suspension (BAC .05 to .079, a “warn”, or failing a drug or coordination test)	5 levels down
Three-month Administrative Licence Suspension (for example, BAC .08 or more)	5 levels down
Failing or refusing a roadside screening device	Possibly 10 levels down, with other sanctions
Conviction for an impaired-driving Criminal Code offence	A further 5, 10 or 15 levels down

Cannabis offences, such as using cannabis in a vehicle on a public road or carrying it outside a secure compartment like the trunk, also move you down the scale on conviction.

What this means for a new driver

• You begin at base. Each clean year moves you up the scale, so a clean learner and intermediate period starts building savings straight away.
• One conviction can wipe out several years of merits. A phone conviction alone costs five levels.
• Moving down usually means higher premiums for both your licence and any vehicle you insure.
• Your licence charges are reassessed every year on your anniversary date, four months less one day after your birthday.

Driver Improvement and Control: the other consequence

Separate from the DSR, MPI’s Driver Improvement and Control (DI&C) Program steps in when driving is unsafe. As a novice (Learner, Intermediate, or the first year of Full Stage), you get interventions earlier than an experienced driver.

What triggers it: at-fault collisions, traffic convictions, serious driving offence charges, 24-hour roadside suspensions and Tiered Administrative Licence Suspensions.

What can happen, from mildest to most serious:

1. an advisory letter
2. a warning letter
3. a required driver course
4. a full driving record review, which can end in a suspension, a required course or exam, or extra licence restrictions

If you don’t complete a required course or exam, your licence is cancelled. MPI says interventions are based only on driving behaviour, never age or gender.

Suspensions every Manitoba driver should know

Situation	Consequence
Novice driver with any alcohol or drugs	Immediate 24-hour roadside suspension, possible DI&C suspension, reinstatement charge
Any driver police suspect is under the influence of a drug	Immediate 24-hour roadside suspension
Any driver BAC .05 to .079 (first time in 10 years)	72-hour suspension; 7 days if a person under 16 is in the vehicle
Second, third, fourth or later in 10 years	15, 30 and 60 days
BAC .08 or more, a fail on a screening device, refusing a sample or test, THC over 5 ng, BAC over .05 with THC over 2.5 ng, or any illegal drug	Immediate three-month suspension, reinstatement charge, possible Criminal Code charges, impoundment, Impaired Driver Assessment, Ignition Interlock
Handheld device	3 days first offence, 7 days each later offence
Driving while suspended	Vehicle impounded for at least 30 days; up to five years in prison and/or fines up to $2,000; possible lifetime suspension

For the Canada-wide Criminal Code rules, see impaired driving in Canada for new drivers.

Other ways to lose a Manitoba licence

• Repeat alcohol suspensions: two or more Tiered Administrative Licence Suspensions within 10 years mean an Impaired Driver Assessment at the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba, at your own cost. A three-month suspension also brings a mandatory assessment.
• Vehicle-related crimes: a conviction for dangerous driving, criminal negligence, flight from police, auto theft, taking a vehicle without consent and similar Criminal Code offences brings an automatic licence suspension of one year up to life, and bars you from driving off-road vehicles. If you are under 16, the suspension starts on your 16th birthday. A discharge for some driving offences may count as a conviction under The Highway Traffic Act.
• Misusing a licence: letting someone else use yours, giving false information or ID when you apply, using an invalid licence, altering a licence, registration certificate or insurance document, or holding more than one valid licence from Canada or the US can bring a fine and a suspension.
• Driving while suspended: the vehicle is impounded even if someone else owns it, and the owner pays the towing, storage and impound fee. You can also face a non-appealable Criminal Code prohibition, which rules out a work licence, and extra licence premiums once reinstated.

Impairment and fatigue: what the handbook teaches

• Only time removes alcohol from your body. Coffee, food, a cold shower or fresh air won’t sober you up. Impaired drivers account for about one-third of traffic deaths in Manitoba.
• If your ability to drive is impaired, you can be charged whatever your blood alcohol level. Mixing alcohol and drugs makes impairment worse, even in small amounts.
• Tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills and similar medication can affect driving even at the prescribed dose, with the same consequences as alcohol. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• Cannabis slows reactions and raises crash risk, more so with alcohol.
• The laws cover all motor vehicles, including off-road vehicles and farm and infrastructure equipment, plus boats, aircraft and railway equipment.
• If you host a party, set house rules against driving after drinking, offer non-alcoholic drinks, close the bar an hour before the end, and arrange rides, a designated driver or a place to stay overnight. Clubs and groups can take turns having members stay sober to drive others home.
• Drowsiness can be as dangerous as a drugged state. Start your trip rested. If you get sleepy, stop and rest, at a rest area if you can. If you must stop by the road, pull well over and use your four-way flashers.

Common questions

Does Manitoba use demerit points?

Manitoba uses the Driver Safety Rating scale instead of a demerit point total. Levels below base are demerits; levels above base are merits.

What level does a new driver start at?

The base level (0), for both driver’s licence and vehicle premiums.

How fast can I move up the DSR scale?

Each year of safe driving moves you up the scale. Check your yearly MPI notice for your exact level.

How much does a phone ticket cost in Manitoba?

On conviction: a $672 fine and five levels down the DSR scale, on top of the roadside licence suspension.

Can a learner be suspended?

Yes. Any alcohol or drugs means an immediate 24-hour suspension and possibly more. A learner also gets Driver Improvement and Control interventions earlier than an experienced driver.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Related: Manitoba intermediate stage rules and Manitoba learner stage rules.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Driver Safety Rating”, including the Driver Safety Rating scale chart (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver Safety Rating” (mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: What are the Consequences?” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Driver Improvement and Control” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Distractions”, “Drugs” and “Driving While Suspended” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: School Buses” and “Construction Zones” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Licence Suspension for Conviction” and “Illegal Use of a Driver’s Licence” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Alcohol”, “What Can You Do To Prevent Other People from Driving While Impaired?”, “Impaired Driving is a Crime in All Motor Vehicles” and “Drowsiness or Fatigue” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Masterhatch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

After you pass the Class 5 road test in Manitoba, you hold a Class 5I (Intermediate Stage) licence for at least 15 months. You can drive alone, but passengers are limited. From 5 a.m. to midnight, one passenger may sit in the front. From midnight to 5 a.m., you may carry one passenger, unless a qualified supervising driver sits in the front. You still need zero alcohol and drugs, and that lasts until 36 months into the Full Stage.

Manitoba intermediate passenger rules, day and night

Time	Who can ride with you
5 a.m. to midnight	One passenger in the front, plus passengers in the back up to the number of working back seatbelts
Midnight to 5 a.m., no supervising driver	One passenger only
Midnight to 5 a.m., qualified supervising driver in the front	The supervising driver in the front, plus passengers in the back up to the number of working back seatbelts

MPI’s class licence sheet puts it simply: a Class 5I driver needs a supervising driver if they carry more than one passenger between midnight and 5 a.m. A qualified supervising driver has held a Class 5F licence for at least three years, has a blood alcohol concentration under .05 and does not fail a drug screening test.

Worked examples

• Saturday, 8 p.m., you and three friends: allowed, with one friend in the front and two in the back, each with a seatbelt.
• Saturday, 12:30 a.m., you and two friends: not allowed. Drop one friend off before midnight, or have a qualified supervising driver in the front seat.
• Weekday, 6 a.m., you and a sibling: allowed. One passenger is always fine.

What changes from the Learner Stage

Rule	Learner (5L)	Intermediate (5I)
Drive without a supervisor	No	Yes
Front-seat passenger	Supervising driver only	One passenger (time limits above)
Towing	No	Yes
Class 3 farm truck	No	Yes
Off-road vehicles along or across highways	No	Yes
Heavy and agricultural equipment	With a supervising driver	Yes
Authorized Instruction for Classes 2 to 4	No	Yes, if 18 or older and you meet medical standards
Alcohol and drugs	Zero	Zero

How long is the intermediate stage in Manitoba?

At least 15 months, not counting time when your licence is not valid. You don’t take another test. You move to the Full Stage (Class 5F) once you have served the 15 months. You only have to complete the Intermediate Stage once: time in a Class 6 (motorcycle) Intermediate Stage counts toward Class 5, and the other way round.

The first 36 months of the Full Stage

• Zero alcohol and drugs continues for the first 36 months of Class 5F.
• For your first year at Full Stage, MPI’s Driver Improvement and Control Program still treats you as a novice driver, so interventions start earlier.
• After three years in the Full Stage you may supervise new drivers.
• You may upgrade to Classes 1 to 4 after passing the right tests, if you are 18 and meet medical standards.

So a new driver has zero tolerance for at least five years: 9 + 15 + 36 months.

What happens if you break the rules

• Any alcohol or drugs: an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension, a possible further suspension under Driver Improvement and Control, and a reinstatement charge.
• Handheld phone: a three-day suspension for a first offence (seven days after that) and, on conviction, a $672 fine and a five-level drop on the Driver Safety Rating scale.
• Traffic convictions and at-fault collisions can lead to warning letters, a required driver course, a full record review or a suspension.

Common questions

How many passengers can an intermediate driver have in Manitoba?

From 5 a.m. to midnight: one in the front plus one per working back seatbelt. From midnight to 5 a.m.: one passenger, unless a qualified supervising driver is in the front.

Can I drive after midnight with an intermediate licence?

Yes. Manitoba has no curfew for Class 5I drivers. Only the passenger limit changes.

Do family members count as passengers?

The MPI rules don’t make an exception for family. The limits apply to all passengers.

Can I drink a little once I have my intermediate licence?

No. The zero alcohol and drugs rule applies through the whole Intermediate Stage and the first 36 months of the Full Stage.

Do I have to take another test to get my full licence?

No. You graduate to Class 5F after 15 months in the Intermediate Stage.

How do Manitoba’s rules compare with other provinces?

See Canadian graduated licensing compared.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Related: Manitoba learner stage rules and the Manitoba road test.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing Class 5” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “The Class Licence System”, dated 19 October 2026 (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: What are the Consequences?”, “Driver Improvement and Control” and “Distractions” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Masterhatch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

These are the rules for a Manitoba Class 5L (Learner Stage) licence, for learners and the adults who supervise them. In short: a qualified supervising driver must be the only front-seat passenger, everyone else sits in the back with a seatbelt, and you can have no alcohol or drugs in your system. The stage lasts at least nine months.

Manitoba Class 5L rules at a glance

Rule	What it means
Minimum time	9 months, not counting periods when your licence is not valid
Alcohol and drugs	None in your system
Front seat	Only the qualified supervising driver
Back seat	Passengers up to the number of working seatbelts in the back
Towing	Not allowed
Farm trucks	No driving a Class 3 vehicle registered as a farm truck
Off-road vehicles	No driving ORVs, such as snowmobiles or ATVs, along or across highways
Heavy and agricultural equipment	Allowed only with a supervising driver
Higher classes	No Authorized Instruction in Classes 1 to 4

Who can supervise a learner driver in Manitoba?

The supervising driver must:

• hold a valid licence
• have held a Class 5F (Full Stage) licence for at least three years
• have a blood alcohol concentration under .05
• not fail a drug screening test

A parent or older sibling qualifies only if they meet all four. Someone who reached Full Stage recently must wait until they have three years at Class 5F.

Passengers: who can ride with a Manitoba learner

• Allowed: the supervising driver in the front, plus friends or family in the back, one per working back seatbelt.
• Not allowed: a friend in the front seat, even if the supervisor is in the back.
• Not allowed: extra people in the back without a seatbelt each.

Every driver must also make sure each minor in the vehicle is properly secured. Children must stay in a booster seat until they are at least 145 cm, 36 kg or nine years old.

Zero alcohol and drugs

As a learner, you cannot have any alcohol or drugs in your system. If you break this rule, MPI says you will:

• get an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension
• face a further suspension under MPI’s Driver Improvement and Control Program
• pay a licence reinstatement charge

Learners count as novice drivers, so Driver Improvement and Control interventions start earlier for them than for experienced drivers. The rule stays with you through the Intermediate Stage and the first 36 months of the Full Stage. For the national picture, see impaired driving in Canada for new drivers.

Phones and distraction

Using a hand-operated electronic device while driving in Manitoba brings a three-day licence suspension for a first offence and seven days for each one after. On conviction, there is also a $672 fine and a drop of five levels on the Driver Safety Rating scale.

MPI treats anything that takes your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel or your mind off driving as a distraction. That includes adjusting audio or GPS, talking with passengers, eating, drinking, smoking and looking at commercial signs.

Keep your learner time counting

• You pay your licence charges every year on your anniversary date, four months less one day after your birthday.
• If you miss the payment, your licence can be suspended, and those unlicensed months don’t count toward your nine months.
• Carry your licence (or temporary certificate) every time you drive.

A practice plan for the nine months

The Learner Stage rules set a minimum time, nine months, rather than a number of hours. Driver Z students must log at least 45 hours, and MPI recommends they get 100 hours of in-car practice, which is a useful target for any learner. Check with MPI if you are unsure what applies to you. Use the time to cover everything the Manitoba road test checks:

1. Car controls, starting from the curb, smooth stops, hand position at 9 and 3.
2. Lane changes with mirror, signal and shoulder check every time.
3. Right and left turns at lights, stop signs and one-way streets.
4. Parallel parking in a 7.5 m space, plus hill parking and three-point turns.
5. Rural highways, gravel roads, night driving and, in season, snow and ice. See Manitoba poor driving conditions.
6. School zones, school buses and cyclists. See sharing Manitoba roads.

Common questions

Can I drive alone with a learner’s licence in Manitoba?

No. A qualified supervising driver must be in the front passenger seat every time.

Can my friends ride with me as a learner?

Yes, in the back seat only, up to the number of working back seatbelts, and only with your supervising driver in the front.

Can a learner drive at night in Manitoba?

Yes. The Learner Stage rules in the handbook have no time-of-day limit. Night passenger limits only start at the Intermediate Stage.

Can a learner drive on the highway in Manitoba?

Yes, with a supervising driver. The off-road-vehicle limit only applies to snowmobiles, ATVs and similar machines along or across highways.

Can I tow a trailer as a learner?

No. Towing is allowed from the Intermediate Stage.

Does my supervising driver need to be sober?

Yes. Their blood alcohol concentration must be under .05 and they must not fail a drug screening test.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Next stage: Manitoba intermediate stage rules.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing Class 5” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Basic Class 5 Licensing Requirements” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: What are the Consequences?” and “Driver Improvement and Control” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Distractions”, “Seatbelts” and “Infant and Child Car Seats” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Keep Your Licence Valid” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver Z eligibility and course requirements” (mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Masterhatch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Manitoba Class 5 road test moves you from the Learner Stage (5L) to the Intermediate Stage (5I). You can take it once you are at least 16 and have spent nine months as a learner. It costs $35 (as of November 2026). If you fail, you wait 14 days. After three fails, you must take at least five hours of lessons with an MPI-permitted driving school before you can book again.

Key facts

• Fee: $35 per attempt. Book up to 60 days ahead.
• Five parts: greeting, vehicle check, test explanation, on-road driving, results.
• Includes a parallel parking (backing) exercise in a space of about 1.85 m by 7.5 m.
• The test ends early after 11 general errors or any serious error.
• In English or French only. Only you and the examiner ride in the car.

What is assessed on the Manitoba road test

MPI lists four areas:

• Vehicle condition and equipment, checked before you drive.
• Vehicle control: starting, stopping, steering, shifting, signalling, backing, parking and turning.
• The backing exercise (parallel parking).
• Rules of the road in normal traffic.

The handbook adds that the test identifies errors you need to correct and that you are judged on your driving skills in typical traffic.

The vehicle check: what fails before you leave

You supply the car. It must be in good working order, with a valid registration certificate showing it is registered and insured, and adequate seating for the examiner, including a working passenger headrest. If the car doesn’t qualify, the test is cancelled and the fee is not refunded. The examiner checks:

• signals, brake lights (including the centre high-mounted light), headlights and rear running lights
• licence plates
• a windshield with no major chips or cracks, working wipers, washer fluid and defrost when needed
• a clean interior with no strong smells, and the car’s overall safe condition

Road tests are not done in heavy or agricultural equipment.

Not sure whether a defect will pass? Before test day, visit an MPI Service Centre that runs road tests and ask to speak with a driver examiner. If you are borrowing a car, find the headlights, wipers, defroster and hazard lights while parked, well before the appointment.

The parallel parking exercise

• You stop before the backing area and the examiner explains the exercise.
• You get three attempts or four minutes, whichever comes first. Each attempt is up to three movements: back, forward, back.
• The space is about 1.85 m by 7.5 m (6 ft by 25 ft), marked by poles. Finish with the front and back of the car 46 cm (18 inches) or closer to the curb.

Automatic fails in this exercise: touching a pole, driving over the curb (your tires may touch it), driving between the poles that stand for the front or back car, or a dangerous act such as moving while a vehicle passes close by.

The step-by-step method is in Manitoba lane changes, turning and backing explained.

What ends a Manitoba road test early

MPI discontinues the test, and you must rebook and pay again, if you:

1. fail the parallel parking exercise
2. interfere with other road users
3. cause a collision with another road user or an object
4. commit a serious traffic offence or a dangerous action
5. need help from the examiner
6. build up 11 general errors

MPI also lists the high-risk behaviours it sees most often on tests. They include speeding (especially in school zones), changing lanes without a shoulder check and signal, and not stopping properly at stop signs. School zones can be as low as 30 km/h, and stop sign rules are covered in the MPI knowledge test guide.

Checklist for test day

• Check in 15 minutes early, with a supervising driver. If you check in late, the test may be cancelled and you pay to rebook.
• Bring your valid 5L or 5A licence (not expired or lapsed) and the vehicle registration certificate. Without them, the test is cancelled.
• Check the restrictions on your licence. Anything wrong must be corrected at an MPI Service Centre before test day; it cannot be fixed at the appointment.
• Follow every learner restriction on the way there. See the Manitoba learner stage rules.
• Know that recording the test, the route or any MPI staff is not allowed.
• A translator may help before and after the test but cannot ride along.
• To cancel or reschedule, give at least 24 hours’ notice or you lose the fee.

Talking to the examiner during the test

• You can ask about directions, including asking the examiner to repeat one. Ask any other questions before you start driving.
• The examiner cannot answer other questions during the drive, and will only discuss how you did once the test is over.
• No instruction means keep driving straight.
• An instruction such as a lane change still leaves you to find a safe gap. If you cannot make a turn safely, carry on lawfully rather than swerving.

What happens after three failed road tests in Manitoba?

Attempt	What you must do before booking
After 1st or 2nd fail	Wait 14 days
Before the 4th attempt	Wait 14 days, and complete at least 5 hours of instruction from a driving school with an MPI permit
Before each later attempt	Another 5 hours of instruction

To book after the lessons, give an Autopac agent a signed Driving Instruction Verification form that includes the instructor’s permit number. To check that a school has a valid permit, ask to see it or contact MPI’s Permit Unit.

The handbook also says that if you drive dangerously on a road test, you may need permission from the Registrar of Motor Vehicles before trying again.

Booking the Manitoba road test

• Book and pay through an Autopac agent or MPI online services, up to 60 days ahead.
• Tests run on weekdays, except holidays. MPI says Saturday appointments are available in Winnipeg.
• You book at the closest location. Winnipeg residents must test at the Winnipeg Service Centre.
• Mobile Test Unit locations and schedules are available from any Autopac agent or on MPI’s website.
• You can only take one road test of the same class per day.

Common questions

How long do I have to wait to take my road test in Manitoba?

Nine months in the Learner Stage, and you must be at least 16. Months when your licence was not valid don’t count.

How many mistakes can you make on the Manitoba road test?

The test is discontinued at 11 general errors. One serious error, such as a dangerous action, a collision or needing the examiner’s help, ends it straight away.

Is parallel parking on the Manitoba road test?

Yes. It is the backing exercise, and failing it ends the test.

Can my parent sit in the back during the test?

No. Only the examiner and the driver are in the vehicle.

What changes after I pass?

You move to Class 5I for at least 15 months, with new passenger rules. See the Manitoba intermediate stage guide.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Testing for your Class 5 licence” (mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Key Points About Your Tests” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Basic Class 5 Licensing Requirements” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Backing Test” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Scheduling Your Knowledge or Road Test” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “The Class Licence System”, dated 19 October 2026 (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The MPI knowledge test is the first test for a Manitoba Class 5L learner licence. It is computer-based, has a 30-minute time limit and costs $12 (as of November 2026). If you are in the Graduated Driver Licensing program and fail, you wait seven days to retest. This guide covers what is on the test, how to book it and how to prepare.

Key facts

• Covers traffic laws, safe driving practices and road sign recognition.
• 30-minute limit. Not open book. No phones or electronic devices in the test area.
• Fee: $12 per attempt. Driver education program charges include one knowledge test.
• Retest wait: seven days if you are in GDL. MPI’s testing page says one day if you are not.
• Available in English, French and, according to MPI’s testing page, 28 other languages, with audio.

How many questions are on the MPI knowledge test, and what is the pass mark?

For the number of questions and the pass mark, check with your Autopac agent or MPI when you book. Prepare to know the whole handbook rather than aiming for a score.

What the knowledge test covers

MPI says the test assesses three things. Each one maps to handbook chapters:

Test area	Handbook chapters to study
Traffic laws	Ch. 1 GDL rules, Ch. 6 Driving Responsibly (speed, right-of-way, school buses, emergency vehicles, railway crossings), Ch. 8 Backing and Parking (illegal parking distances), Ch. 12 Unsafe Driving and Consequences
Safe driving practices	Ch. 5 Starting, Lane Changing, Curves and Turning; Ch. 7 Sharing the Road; Ch. 10 Poor Driving Conditions; Ch. 11 Driving Emergencies and Collisions
Road sign recognition	Ch. 4 Signs and Signals: sign shapes and colours, warning, regulatory, construction and guide signs, traffic signals and pavement markings

Signs and signals to know cold

Chapter 4 is the one most learners underestimate. These are the shapes and signal rules from the Manitoba handbook:

• Octagon: stop signs only. Come to a complete stop.
• Triangle, point down: yield. Slow down and stop if needed.
• Diamond: warning of possible danger on or near the road.
• Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon: school area.
• Triangle with the tips cut off: slow-moving vehicle.
• Crossbuck: railway crossing. Trains always have the right-of-way.
• Square or rectangle: regulates traffic or directs the driver.
• Times on signs use the 24-hour clock, so 16:00 means 4 p.m.
• Red light: after a full stop you may turn right, unless a sign says otherwise. You may also turn right or left from a one-way street onto another one-way street.
• Green left arrow with a red light: left turn only. A right turn is illegal even with no sign.
• Flashing amber: slow down, be ready to stop and yield to pedestrians.
• Transit priority signal (white vertical bar on black): only buses may go. Other vehicles stay stopped.
• Four-way stop: the first vehicle to stop goes first. If two stop together, the vehicle on the left yields to the one on the right.
• Yellow lines separate opposite directions. White lines separate lanes going the same way. A solid line on your side means no passing.

Numbers Manitoba learners are often asked about

Rule	Manitoba figure
Default speed limit	90 km/h rural, 50 km/h urban, unless posted
Following distance	At least four seconds in ideal conditions; at least six seconds on gravel
Signal before turning	At least 30 m before; 150 m outside cities, towns and villages
Stopping for a school bus with red lights	At least 5 m away, from either direction
Stopped at a railway crossing	At least 5 m from the nearest rail in a restricted speed area, 15 m elsewhere
Passing a stopped emergency or tow vehicle	Maximum 40 km/h where the limit is under 80 km/h; 60 km/h where it is 80 km/h or more
Passing a cyclist	At least 1 m of space
Headlights	Half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise, and whenever visibility is 60 m or less
Dim high beams	At least 450 m from oncoming vehicles; 60 m when following
No parking near a fire hydrant / crosswalk	3 m
No parking near a stop sign at an intersection	9 m
No parking near a railway crossing	30 m from the nearest rail, unless posted
Supervising driver’s blood alcohol	Under .05

How to book the knowledge test in Manitoba

1. Register as an MPI customer and prove your identity, normally through an Autopac agent.
2. If you are under 18, get parent or legal guardian approval. Driver education students under 16 need a completed driver education form.
3. Tell MPI about any disease or disability that may affect your driving before the test. Driver Fitness must approve any required medical report first.
4. Pay and book through an Autopac agent or MPI online services, up to 60 days ahead. Tests run on weekdays, except holidays. Choose your language and audio preference when you book.
5. Check in 15 minutes early. MPI’s testing page says the Gateway Service Centre in Winnipeg also takes walk-in knowledge tests on weekdays, with proof of purchase and valid ID.

If you fail the MPI knowledge test

• In the GDL program, you wait at least seven days before your next attempt.
• You can only take one knowledge test of the same class per day.
• Each attempt costs $12.

How to prepare

• Read the MPI Driver’s Handbook, “Driving Safely in Friendly Manitoba”, chapter by chapter.
• Use MPI’s free online driving quizzes. MPI says they are not sample questions from the real test, but they check that you understand the basics.
• Make a sheet of every distance, speed and time in the handbook. The table above is a start.
• Once you pass, read the Manitoba learner stage rules before your first drive.

Common questions

Can I take the MPI knowledge test at 15 and a half?

Yes, if you are enrolled in a high school driver education course that is in progress. If you are under 16, bring the completed driver education form.

Is the Manitoba knowledge test multiple choice?

It is computer-based. MPI’s practice quizzes are multiple choice. Check the format of the real test with MPI when you book.

Can I take the knowledge test in another language?

Yes. MPI’s testing page lists English, French and 28 other languages, including Cree, Saulteaux and Tagalog, all with audio. The road test is in English or French only.

What happens after I pass?

You meet the vision and medical standards and buy your Class 5L licence: $20 plus a base driver premium of up to $45 and any additional premium. Then you begin at least nine months in the Learner Stage.

Can I bring my phone?

No. Phones and electronic devices are not allowed in the test area.

Back to the full guide to learning to drive in Manitoba. Next step: the Manitoba road test.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Testing for your Class 5 licence” (mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Key Points About Your Tests” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Scheduling Your Knowledge or Road Test” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Basic Class 5 Licensing Requirements” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “The Class Licence System”, dated 19 October 2026 (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook”, Chapters 4 to 8 and 10 (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driving Quizzes” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)

Photo: Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This guide is for new drivers in Manitoba, and their parents, who want the full route from a first licence to a Full Stage Class 5 licence. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) runs licensing and testing. Every new driver, whatever their age, goes through three stages of Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL): Learner (Class 5L, at least 9 months), Intermediate (Class 5I, at least 15 months) and Full (Class 5F).

Key facts (as of November 2026)

• Minimum age for a Class 5L learner licence: 16, or 15 and a half if you are enrolled in a high school driver education course that is in progress.
• Parental or legal guardian consent is needed if you are under 18.
• Knowledge test: $12. Class 5 road test: $35. Licence: $20 plus a base driver premium of up to $45, plus any additional driver premium.
• Fastest route to Full Stage: 9 months as a learner plus 15 months as an intermediate driver, so at least 24 months.
• Zero alcohol and drugs through the Learner and Intermediate stages and the first 36 months of the Full Stage.

How the Manitoba GDL stages fit together

Stage	Minimum time	How you get in	Main limits
Class 5L Learner	9 months	Pass the knowledge test and meet vision and medical standards	Qualified supervising driver is the only front-seat passenger; others in back seats with seatbelts; no towing; zero alcohol and drugs
Class 5I Intermediate	15 months	Pass the Class 5 road test	One front-seat passenger from 5 a.m. to midnight; tighter limits from midnight to 5 a.m.; zero alcohol and drugs
Class 5F Full	None	Finish 15 months in the Intermediate Stage	Zero alcohol and drugs for the first 36 months

Time only counts while your licence is valid. MPI states the minimum periods exclude licence interruptions. If you don’t pay your yearly licence charges, you earn no credit for the months you are unlicensed.

Step by step: from no licence to Full Stage in Manitoba

1. Register with MPI and prove your identity. Before the knowledge test you register as an MPI customer, usually through an Autopac agent. Bring documents that show your birth date, legal name, a photograph, Manitoba residence and your right to be in Canada.
2. Get consent if you are under 18. A parent or legal guardian must approve your application. Driver education students under 16 also need a completed driver education form before the knowledge test.
3. Pass the knowledge test. It is computer-based with a 30-minute limit and covers traffic laws, safe driving and road signs. See the MPI knowledge test guide.
4. Buy your learner licence. It costs $20 plus a base driver premium of up to $45 and any additional premium. You get a temporary certificate, valid for up to 45 days, until the card comes in the mail. Carry it whenever you drive.
5. Practise for at least 9 months under the Class 5L learner rules.
6. Pass the Class 5 road test ($35). If you fail, you wait 14 days. After three fails you need five hours of professional lessons. See the Manitoba road test guide.
7. Drive for at least 15 months under the Intermediate Stage passenger rules.
8. Graduate to Class 5F. This happens automatically after 15 months in the Intermediate Stage. Zero alcohol and drugs applies for 36 more months.

Starting at 15 and a half with high school driver education

At 15 and a half, you may apply for a Class 5L licence only if you are enrolled in a high school driver education course (MPI’s Driver Z program) that is currently in progress. Otherwise the minimum age is 16. MPI says the driver education charges include one knowledge test. Everything else is the same as for any learner, including the 9-month minimum.

Driver Z is optional. If you enrol, you commit to at least 45 hours of practice with a supervising driver and a one-hour readiness assessment, alongside the course lessons. That 45 hours is a Driver Z requirement, not a rule for every Manitoba learner.

• Supervising driver: sits beside you in the car and must meet the supervisor rules (at least three years in the Full Stage).
• Co-pilot: logs in to the Driver Z website to verify your practice time. A co-pilot must be an MPI customer, must complete the online co-pilot eLessons before your first class, and does not have to be in the car. You can invite up to eight.
• One person can do both jobs, but being a co-pilot does not on its own make someone a qualified supervisor.
• To be eligible you must be 15 and a half by the date of the Driver Z knowledge test, usually about five weeks after the course starts.

MPI also notes that every new driver should think about lessons from a driving school that holds an MPI permit.

Manitoba’s one-piece driver’s licence

• Your photo is taken at an Autopac agent or MPI Service Centre when you get your first licence, and again every five years.
• If you are under 18, your licence shows the exact date of your 18th birthday.
• Carry your licence whenever you drive. Show it, with the vehicle registration certificate, when a peace officer asks.
• The licence is valid for up to five years, but you pay for it every year on your anniversary date. That is four months less one day after your birthday. For a 21 September birthday, the anniversary date is 20 January.
• The handbook says a Manitoba driver’s licence cannot be used to cross the United States border.
• Tell your Autopac agent or MPI within 15 days if you change your name or address.
• Your expiry date is printed on the front of the licence, and it is your job to renew on time. You get a renewal notice once every five years, and you visit an Autopac agent then to review your coverage and renew before it lapses. If you own a vehicle, your Autopac renews and expires at the same time as your licence.
• In the years between, an annual statement shows what you owe. You can pay online by Visa or Mastercard, online or by phone through your bank, or in person wherever Autopac is sold.
• Using your licence wrongly can bring a fine and a suspension. See other ways to lose a Manitoba licence.

Your yearly cost depends on your place on the Driver Safety Rating scale. New drivers start at the base level.

Who has to take a Manitoba driver test?

• You must test for a vehicle class if you have never been licensed for it, have not held a Manitoba licence in the past four years, or hold a licence from a place whose licences can’t be exchanged.
• You may be re-tested after collisions or convictions, after a suspension, or if a disease or disability may affect your driving.

Vision and medical standards

• If you don’t meet the minimum vision or medical standards, you may not be able to get a licence. MPI can ask for vision or medical information, and can suspend your licence or your right to get one while it reviews it.
• Corrective lenses and other restrictions needed for driving are shown on your licence.
• Tell MPI’s Driver Fitness area before the knowledge test about any disease or disability that may affect your driving. A required medical report must be approved before you take the test or enrol in driver education.
• Manitoba Health doesn’t pay for third-party medical reports, related exams or calls to your doctor, so you cover those costs.

What you need to know on the road

The knowledge test and road test draw on the whole MPI Driver’s Handbook. These guides cover it chapter by chapter:

• Lane changes, curves, turning and backing in Manitoba
• Sharing Manitoba roads: school buses, cyclists, farm equipment and off-road vehicles
• Manitoba poor driving conditions, emergencies and collisions
• The Driver Safety Rating and the penalties for unsafe driving

Moving to Manitoba with a licence from another country

If your licence is from outside Canada, the United States or another exchangeable jurisdiction, you take the Manitoba tests. You can drive on your home licence for three months, until it expires or until you get a Manitoba 5L or 5A licence, whichever comes first. Once you have the Manitoba licence, you surrender the foreign one and follow that stage’s rules, including having a supervising driver. For licence exchanges across Canada, see exchanging a foreign or out-of-province licence.

A non-GDL Authorized Instruction Stage (Class 5A) covers, among others, experienced drivers moving to Manitoba who need driver examinations. MPI’s testing page says 5A holders can take the road test the day after passing the knowledge test. The A Stage also covers people who held a learner’s licence before 1 April 2002, drivers whose licence has been de-classed, and operators of heavy and agricultural equipment. Class 5A drivers must be at least 16, have no alcohol or drugs in their system and have a qualified supervising driver as the only front-seat passenger. They may not drive a Class 3 farm truck or take off-road vehicles along or across highways.

Also in Chapter 3 of the handbook

• Parking permit for people with disabilities: you can apply if a permanent or temporary disability means you need a mobility aid full time, or you can’t walk more than 50 m without great difficulty or risk to your health. Permits last up to 36 months and there is a fee. Apply through the Parking Permit Program of the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities. Display the permit only while parked in a designated space, not while driving.
• Organ and tissue donation: Manitoba’s online registry records your decision, which a signed donor card does not. Tell your family what you want.
• Mature Driver Program: a course for senior drivers on staying safe as driving ability changes with age, run by Safety Services Manitoba.

Common questions

How long does it take to get a full licence in Manitoba?

At least 24 months: 9 months in the Learner Stage and 15 months in the Intermediate Stage. Failed road tests or gaps in your licence add time.

Can I get my learner’s at 15 in Manitoba?

No. The earliest is 15 and a half, and only if you are in a high school driver education course that is in progress. Otherwise you must be 16.

Do adults have to go through GDL in Manitoba?

Yes. MPI says GDL applies to new drivers whether they are 16 or 60. Anyone who applied for a first Class 5 licence on or after 1 April 2002 is in the GDL program.

How much does it cost to get a Class 5 licence in Manitoba?

As of November 2026: $12 for each knowledge test, $35 for each Class 5 road test, then $20 a year for the licence plus a base driver premium of up to $45 and any additional premium. MPI says charges may change.

Is driver’s ed mandatory in Manitoba?

No. It is only required if you want to start at 15 and a half. After three failed road tests, though, you must take at least five hours of professional instruction before you can book again.

When can I supervise a learner?

After three years in the Full Stage (Class 5F). You must also have a blood alcohol concentration under .05 and pass any drug screening.

Licensing across Canada

To compare Manitoba with other provinces, see learning to drive in Canada and Canadian graduated licensing compared. For zero-tolerance and Criminal Code rules, see impaired driving in Canada for new drivers. For winter skills, see winter driving in Canada.

Sources

• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Graduated Driver Licensing Class 5” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Basic Class 5 Licensing Requirements” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “The Class Licence System”, dated 19 October 2026 (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Establishing Your Identity” and “Authorized Instruction (A Stage)” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: Manitoba’s One-Piece Driver’s Licence” and “Keep Your Licence Valid” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Driver’s Handbook: About the Renewal Process”, “Parking Entitlement for People with Physical Disabilities”, “Organ and Tissue Donation” and “Mature Driver Program” (apps.mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “Testing for your Class 5 licence” (mpi.mb.ca)
• Manitoba Public Insurance, “About Driver Z” and “Driver Z eligibility and course requirements” (mpi.mb.ca)