Photo: Gabriel Picard, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This guide is for Quebec learners and their accompanying riders. It covers the Highway Safety Code rules the SAAQ knowledge test and road test check most: roundabouts, pedestrians, cyclists, school buses, emergency vehicles and speed limits. Every rule below is from the Government of Quebec’s traffic rules pages. Remember the learner’s limit: in Quebec, 4 demerit points costs you your learner’s or probationary licence.
Key facts
- Pass cyclists with at least 1 metre in zones of 50 km/h or less, and 1.5 metres in zones over 50 km/h.
- Stop at least 5 metres from a school bus with flashing red lights. Stopping is not required if a median separates you from the bus.
- Default limits: 50 km/h in cities, towns and villages, 70 km/h on gravel roads, and 100 km/h maximum and 60 km/h minimum on highways (autoroutes).
- Failing to slow down and move over for a stopped emergency vehicle or tow truck: $200 to $300 and 4 demerit points.
Right of way at intersections
- Stop sign: stop, then yield to vehicles already in, or about to enter, the intersection, and to pedestrians and cyclists entering it.
- All-way stop: yield to any vehicle that reached the intersection before you.
- Left turn on green: yield to oncoming traffic.
- Any turn: yield to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the road you are turning into.
- Lanes: with several lanes, turn right from the right lane and left from the left lane.
- Do not block the box: even on a green light, stop before the intersection if you cannot clear it completely.
- Right on red: allowed after a full stop, unless a sign prohibits it, but never on the island of Montreal. See right turn on red in Quebec.
How to drive through a Quebec roundabout
- Slow down as you approach. Choose your lane for your exit before you enter, and stay in it.
- Give way to pedestrians who have started crossing, or clearly want to cross, the branch you are entering.
- Yield to the users already in the circle. In heavy traffic you may need to stop before entering.
- Drive counterclockwise. Never stop inside the circle.
- Signal right to show you are exiting.
- Missed your exit? Go around again if the design allows it.
Pedestrians may not cross the roadway inside a roundabout or walk on the centre island.
Pedestrians and crosswalks
- Where a crosswalk is not controlled by an Arrêt (stop) sign or a light, you must stop to let a pedestrian entering it cross.
- Always yield to pedestrians crossing, or signalling that they intend to cross, whether or not the crosswalk has flashing lights.
- On a shared street (rue partagée), the limit is 20 km/h and pedestrians and cyclists have priority.
How much space to give a cyclist in Quebec
| Speed limit where you are |
Minimum gap when passing |
| 50 km/h or less |
1 metre |
| Over 50 km/h |
1.5 metres |
| Cyclist behind a raised barrier (for example, a curb-protected bike path) |
No minimum gap required |
| Bicycle route (30 km/h maximum) |
You may pass within 1 metre after slowing down |
- Slow down before passing, and stay behind if traffic is coming toward you or is in the next lane.
- The same gaps apply to pedestrians and e-scooter riders.
- You may cross a solid line (single or double) to give room to a cyclist, a pedestrian, a slow-moving vehicle or farm machinery. Crossing it in other cases can mean 3 demerit points and a $200 to $300 fine.
- Before opening your door after parking, check your mirror and look over your shoulder for cyclists.
School buses in Quebec
- When a school bus has its alternating flashing red lights on and its stop sign out, stop at least 5 metres from the bus.
- On a two-way road, you may pass or meet the bus only after the lights go off, the stop sign folds away, and you have checked it is safe.
- If a median strip or other raised barrier separates you from the bus, you do not have to stop.
- Near an intersection, obey the signs and priority rules, and do not cut into the bus’s safety zone after turning.
For other provinces’ rules, see school bus stopping rules across Canada.
Emergency vehicles and the move-over law
An emergency vehicle is coming with lights or siren
Yield: slow down, move as far right as you can, and stop if needed.
A vehicle is stopped with lights flashing
This covers police, ambulance, fire, Contrôle routier Québec, wildlife protection, tow and surveillance vehicles with flashing, rotating or yellow arrow lights.
| Where the stopped vehicle is |
What you do |
| On the shoulder |
Slow down. Change lanes if it is safe. If you cannot, keep as far from it as possible in your own lane |
| In your lane |
Slow down, stop if needed to let oncoming traffic pass, then go around when it is safe |
| In the next lane |
Slow down and keep as far from it as possible in your own lane |
Penalty: a fine of $200 to $300 and 4 demerit points. On a learner’s or probationary licence, 4 points means losing the licence. See Quebec probationary licence rules.
Speed limits in Quebec
| Road |
Limit where no sign is posted |
| Cities, towns and villages |
50 km/h maximum |
| Gravel roads |
70 km/h maximum |
| Highways (autoroutes) |
100 km/h maximum, 60 km/h minimum |
Speeding fines are doubled:
- in a school zone between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, September to June
- past an orange speed sign in a roadwork zone
- at 40 km/h or more over a limit of 60 km/h or less, 50 km/h or more over a limit above 60 and up to 90 km/h, and 60 km/h or more over a 100 km/h limit
Passing rules for Quebec learners
- Pass only on the left or in the oncoming lane, and only where the line on your side is broken.
- Signal before you pass and return to your lane promptly. The speed limit still applies while you pass.
- Pass on the right only when the vehicle ahead is turning left (without using the shoulder), heading for a left exit lane, or clearing or maintaining the left lane on a road with two or more lanes your way.
- Never speed up while someone is passing you.
- Do not pass a group in a sports or other special event escorted by vehicles, unless a free lane goes your way on a road with two or more lanes each way (slow down as you pass), or a peace officer lets you on a road with one lane each way.
Roads with a two-way centre lane
Quebec is testing a road layout, under a pilot project in effect since 3 July 2024, with one shared centre lane for vehicles going both ways and a multifunctional lane on each side for pedestrians and cyclists.
- Drive in the centre lane. Stay there when you are alone on the road.
- When you meet another vehicle, both drivers slow down, move into the right-hand multifunctional lane to pass each other, then return to the centre.
- Yield to pedestrians and cyclists in the side lanes. If you cannot move over safely, stop in the centre lane until it is safe.
- Keep at least 1 metre from pedestrians and cyclists when you pass them.
- Do not stop on these roads except when necessary and safe, for example where there is parking or a wide enough shoulder.
Stopping and parking in Quebec
You may stop on a public road only when you really must, for example after a breakdown. On roads with a limit of 70 km/h or more, stopping is banned unless it is necessary or a sign allows it. Never stop where you would hide a sign, block traffic or road work, or block access to a property.
- No stopping on a sidewalk or median, within 3 metres of a fire hydrant, in an intersection, crosswalk or bicycle crossing, or in a traffic circle.
- No stopping on a bridge, viaduct or tunnel, on an autoroute or its ramps, in a reserved lane (bus or bicycle), in a loading or transit zone, or in front of a sidewalk ramp for people with disabilities.
- Park in the direction of traffic, no more than 30 cm from the curb, and leave room for others to manoeuvre. On a slope, set the parking brake and turn the front wheels toward the curb.
- Watch for winter no-parking signs, often with orange lights that show when the ban is on, and for tabs warning that vehicles may be towed.
Large wildlife
Moose and deer collisions peak at dawn and dusk, in June and July, and in October and November. Slow down where signs or flashing yellow lights warn of wildlife, and scan both sides of the road. If a collision cannot be avoided, do not swerve: brake and slow down gradually, tap the brakes to warn drivers behind, and sound the horn. Report a dangerous wildlife situation by calling 511. More: moose, deer and caribou on Canadian roads.
Common questions
How far do I stop from a school bus in Quebec?
At least 5 metres, while its red lights flash and its stop sign is out.
Who goes first in a Quebec roundabout?
Traffic already in the circle. You yield on the way in.
What is the speed limit in Quebec if there is no sign?
50 km/h in built-up areas, 70 km/h on gravel, and 100 km/h on autoroutes.
Can I cross a solid line to pass a cyclist?
Yes, when it is safe. That is one of the listed exceptions.
Do I have to stop for a school bus on the other side of a divided road?
No, if a median or raised barrier separates you from the bus.
How many demerit points can a Quebec learner have?
Fewer than 4. At 4 points, a learner’s or probationary licence is lost. See Quebec learner’s licence rules.
Related: learning to drive in Quebec, SAAQ knowledge test, driving in Montreal as a new driver, Quebec road signs in French.
Sources
- Government of Quebec, “Roadways with a two-way centre lane” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Stopping a vehicle on a public road”, “Parking a vehicle” and “Driving in the presence of large wildlife” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Manoeuvre at intersections” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Traffic circle and roundabout” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Rules for passing on roads” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Traffic rules when school buses are present” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Move-Over Law” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Traffic rules for emergency vehicles” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Speed limits” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Driving on a shared street” and “Bicycle route rules” (quebec.ca)
- Government of Quebec, “Traffic rules for pedestrians” (quebec.ca)
- Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, “Obtaining a licence: passenger vehicle” (saaq.gouv.qc.ca)
