Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook is the official study source for the Class 7 knowledge test. It comes in nine parts, and a new car driver needs Parts 1 and 3 to 7. This checklist goes through what to learn from each part, the numbers worth memorizing, and how to drive in moose country.
The nine parts of the New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook
| Part | Title | Study it for the Class 7 test? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Licensing of Drivers | Yes |
| 2 | Registration of Vehicles | Skim |
| 3 | Equipment | Yes |
| 4 | Traffic on the Highway: Rules of the Road | Yes, in depth |
| 5 | Safe Driving | Yes, in depth |
| 6 | Traffic on the Highway: Sharing the Road | Yes |
| 7 | Traffic Signs | Yes, for the sign test |
| 8 | What Every Motorcyclist Must Know | Only for a motorcycle licence |
| 9 | Information for Commercial Vehicle Drivers | Only for a commercial licence |
The handbook also includes the Parental Consent Form needed by applicants under 18.
Part 1 checklist: licensing
- Level 1: minimum 12 months (8 with driver training), accompanying driver with Class 5 or higher and 3 years’ experience in the front seat, no other passengers, no driving midnight to 5 a.m.
- Level 2: up to 3 passengers (one in front); under 21, midnight to 5 a.m. limits unless accompanied or exempt.
- Class 5 after 24 months combined, at least 12 in Level 2.
- Zero alcohol and drugs; breach means a one-year suspension and a restart.
Full detail: Level 1 and Level 2 rules and demerits and zero tolerance penalties.
Part 3 checklist: equipment
- Lights: your vehicle’s lights must be on at night and whenever there is not enough light to see people and vehicles clearly at 150 metres. Do not wait for full darkness, and do not assume a lit dashboard means your rear lights are on.
- Mirror: the Motor Vehicle Act requires a mirror placed and adjusted to show the road at least 60 metres behind you.
- Seatbelts: not wearing one carries 2 demerit points.
- Studded tires: the handbook allows them from October 15 to April 30. The province’s winter driving page gives May 1 as the end date, so take them off by April 30 to be safe.
Part 4 checklist: rules of the road
- Speed limits: 50 km/h in any urban district, 80 km/h elsewhere, unless a sign shows a different limit.
- School zones (Motor Vehicle Act, section 140.1): the reduced limit applies from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on days a nearby school is in session. It is 30 km/h in a municipality (city, town or village) and 50 km/h in a rural community, regional municipality or rural district, unless the posted school zone sign shows a different limit. Signs mark where the zone starts and ends.
- Traffic lights: steady amber means red is coming, so do not enter unless you are too close to stop. At a steady red, stop fully at the stop line, crosswalk or edge of the intersection; you may then turn right with care, yielding to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign bans it. A flashing red works like a stop sign. On green you may go or turn, but yield to anyone lawfully in the intersection.
- Who goes first: yield to a vehicle already in the intersection. If two vehicles enter from different roads at about the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. Coming out of a driveway or private road, yield to pedestrians. A stop sign needs a full stop at the stop line or nearest crosswalk; a yield sign means slow down and give way.
- Keeping right and passing: do not drive on the left within 30 metres of an intersection or railway crossing. A solid single yellow line means no passing; a broken yellow line allows it only when conditions are right. Passing on the right is an offence except in listed cases, such as overtaking a vehicle turning left or on a one-way street, and you cannot use the shoulder to get past.
- Signalling and blind spots (section 4.8): signal before you turn or change lanes, and check your blind spot. When a turn signal is needed, the Motor Vehicle Act requires it continuously for at least the last 30 metres before the turn. The signal tells others your plan; it does not create a gap for you.
- U-turns: not allowed on a curve, near the crest of a hill where a driver approaching from either direction could not see you within 150 metres, or where a sign prohibits them. Missed your turn? Carry on and use a lawful route back.
- Right-of-way (section 4.11): who yields at intersections and to pedestrians.
- Parking: parallel to and within 50 centimetres of the curb or shoulder edge. Do not park within 5 metres of the curb point opposite a fire hydrant, or within 10 metres of a fire station driveway (25 metres on the opposite side of the street).
Part 4 situations worth practising
- School buses: when you meet or come up behind a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing, stop at least 5 metres from it. Do not move until the bus starts moving again or the red lights stop, and then still check for children crossing.
- Railway crossings: when the crossing signal is warning of a train, or a stop sign is posted at the crossing, stop between 5 and 15 metres from the nearest rail. Never drive around a lowered gate. If traffic is queuing beyond the tracks, wait until there is room for your whole car on the far side before you cross.
- Stopped emergency and service vehicles: passing on the same side of the road as a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing red lights, or a tow truck, utility vehicle or contracted road maintenance vehicle with flashing amber lights, slow to half the posted limit (50 km/h where the limit is 100). On a road with two or more lanes in your direction, move out of the lane next to it if you can do so safely. The province lists a fine of $292.50 and 3 demerit points for failing to slow down and move over.
- Roundabouts: pick your lane from the signs and arrows before you arrive, yield to traffic already circulating, and signal right before your exit. Do not change lanes inside a multi-lane roundabout, and give large vehicles room.
- Two-way left-turn lanes: the shared centre lane is for vehicles from either direction getting ready to turn left. Enter it only close to your turn, after signalling and checking your blind spot, and never use it to pass a queue.
Part 5 checklist: safe driving
- Following distance: pick a fixed point; when the vehicle ahead passes it, count “one thousand and one, one thousand and two.” If you reach the point before you finish, you are too close. That applies at any speed in good conditions. In poor conditions, slow down and count longer.
- Alternative rule: about one car length for every 20 km/h of speed.
- Tailgating is a common cause of collisions. Leave enough room to stop in an emergency.
- Phones: using a hand-held device while driving is illegal and texting is never allowed. Calls must be hands-free, apart from calling 911 in an emergency. The province lists a $340.50 fine and 5 points.
Driving in moose country
New Brunswick’s highway safety guidance focuses on moose because they are so hard to see:
- Most moose crashes happen between dusk and dawn.
- A moose’s coat is dark and its eyes do not glow in headlights, so it is harder to spot than a deer at night.
- Scan both sides of the road, and slow down where animal crossing signs are posted.
- If an animal appears, brake firmly and try not to swerve.
- Do not get out of your vehicle to approach an animal.
More on wildlife across Canada: Moose, deer and caribou on Canadian roads.
Part 6 checklist: sharing the road
Part 6 covers sharing the road with other road users. Read it in the New Brunswick wording before your test.
Passing cyclists: pass a bicycle going your way only when there is enough room to do it safely, leaving at least one metre between your vehicle and the cyclist. The province lists a fine of $172.50 and 3 demerit points for breaking this rule. One metre is the minimum: on a narrow bridge or with oncoming traffic, stay behind until there is real space.
The Canada-wide guides help with the situations learners find hardest:
- School bus stopping rules across Canada
- Slow down, move over
- Winter driving in Canada for new drivers
If you are in a collision
- Stop, help anyone who is hurt and call 911 if there is danger or injury.
- If anyone is injured or killed, or the total property damage looks like $2,000 or more, the driver must notify police immediately by the quickest means available: the local police force inside its area, or the RCMP elsewhere. Older handbook editions show $1,000; the current Motor Vehicle Act uses $2,000. If you cannot judge the repair cost, call police and follow their instructions.
- If you damage only roadside property such as a fence or sign, take reasonable steps to find and notify the owner or the person in charge of it.
How other provinces compare: Collision reporting rules by province. More on level crossings: Railway crossings for new drivers in Canada.
Part 7 checklist: traffic signs
- Regulatory signs: tell you the law, such as stop, yield and speed limits.
- Warning signs: hazards ahead, including animal crossings.
- Construction signs.
- Railway crossing signs.
- Guide and information signs.
Learn each sign group by shape and colour first, then by meaning. Then take the sign test: New Brunswick written and sign tests.
Common questions
Where do I get the New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook?
The Government of New Brunswick publishes it free online as separate PDFs for each part, in English and French.
Which parts do I need for the learner’s test?
Parts 1 and 3 to 7. Parts 8 and 9 are for motorcycle and commercial licences.
What is the default speed limit in New Brunswick?
50 km/h in urban districts and 80 km/h elsewhere, unless posted otherwise.
What is the school zone speed limit in New Brunswick?
30 km/h in a city, town or village, and 50 km/h in a rural community, regional municipality or rural district, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, unless the sign shows another limit.
What following distance does the New Brunswick handbook recommend?
At least two seconds in good conditions, more in poor conditions, or about one car length per 20 km/h.
Why are moose so dangerous at night?
They are dark and their eyes do not reflect headlights the way a deer’s do, so you see them late.
Back to the main guide: Learning to drive in New Brunswick.
Sources
- Government of New Brunswick, “New Brunswick Driver’s Handbook” table of contents and Parts 1, 4, 5 and 7 (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Avoiding highway collisions with wildlife” (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Graduated drivers’ licences” (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, Motor Vehicle Act, RSNB 1973, c M-17, section 140.1 (laws.gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, Motor Vehicle Act, RSNB 1973, c M-17, sections 129, 130, 149, 162, 168.1, 182, 188, 193 and 207 (laws.gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Passing emergency and service vehicles” (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Sharing the road safely for cyclists and drivers” (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, “Driver distraction” and “Winter driving safety” (gnb.ca)
- Government of New Brunswick, Motor Vehicle Act, RSNB 1973, c M-17, sections 117, 119, 122, 165 and 167 (laws.gnb.ca)
