Photo: Eric Van Lochem, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Nova Scotia’s Traffic Safety Act came into effect on 19 October 2026 and replaced the Motor Vehicle Act. For learner and new drivers, the biggest changes are to rules of the road you will be tested on: curb parking distance, school buses on divided highways, cyclists, dooring and penalties when vulnerable road users are hurt. The Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook was last revised before these changes, so study this list as well.
Key facts
- Passed by the Nova Scotia Legislature in October 2025. In force 19 October 2026.
- Replaces the Motor Vehicle Act, which dates from the early 1900s.
- Detail now sits in regulations, including the Driver’s Licence Regulations and Using the Road Regulations.
- Questions go to the Department of Public Works TSA team, [email protected].
Rule changes that matter for new drivers
| Topic | What changed on 19 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Parking at a curb | Maximum distance from the curb rose from 15 cm to 30 cm |
| New parking offences | Parking on a sidewalk, alongside or on a median, in front of a driveway without the owner’s permission, or in front of a community mailbox unless collecting or delivering mail |
| Divided highways | You cannot park or drive the wrong way on a divided highway |
| School buses | Traffic in both directions stops for flashing red lights. You need not stop if the bus is on the opposite side of a divided highway, meaning a roadway with a physical median |
| Dooring | Before opening any door on a highway, the vehicle must be stopped and it must be safe. Do not leave the door open longer than needed: stop, look, open, close |
| Passing cyclists | Keep at least 1 metre, even when the cyclist is in an unprotected bike lane |
| Right turns | Do not turn right after passing a cyclist if the cyclist is approaching from behind |
| Seating | Every passenger needs their own designated seating position |
| Child seats | Rear-facing for an infant as legally defined; an approved child restraint for a young child; a booster or another approved child restraint for an older child. Use the age, weight and height tests below, rather than assuming a birthday alone changes the seat. |
| Vulnerable road users | Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, road workers, emergency workers and others are defined as vulnerable road users. Fines for careless driving, imprudent speed or dangerous speed are doubled if one is affected, and courts can suspend a licence for up to a year |
| Recovery vehicles | Tow trucks, including flatbeds, are now called “recovery vehicles” and can use flashing red lights at the roadside |
Child car seats under the new rules
Check age, weight and height together. A birthday alone does not move a child up a stage.
| Child | What the regulations require |
|---|---|
| Infant: under 2, or any age under 10 kg | Rear-facing seat, never in a seat with an active front airbag |
| Young child: 2 or older and at least 10 kg, and either under 4 or under 18 kg | An approved child seat (usually a harness seat) |
| Older child: 4 to under 9, at least 18 kg and under 145 cm | Booster seat, or another approved child seat |
| At least 18 kg and at least 145 cm tall | May use the seat belt |
- Use every seat as the manufacturer’s instructions say.
- A child using a seat belt instead of a child seat must not sit in the front unless the vehicle has only front seats.
- Separate rules cover medical exemptions, buses and out-of-province vehicles.
Driver education changes
Course names are now standardized:
- Class 5 driver education course (25 hours theory, 10 hours practical). This is the course that shortens the learner wait.
- Class 6 driver education course (motorcycle).
- New driver theory education course, the course for exiting GDL.
- Driver Improvement Program, when required by the Registrar or for point deduction.
Course certificates must now show the instructor and school, your name, your driver’s licence client number, the course name, the completion date and a unique certificate number. Check that yours does before you hand it in.
Already in the handbook’s update pages
The handbook’s update pages flag several changes made after it was printed. They are still worth knowing:
- Slow down, move over: for a stopped emergency vehicle with lights flashing, slow to 60 km/h (or the limit, if lower) and change lanes if you safely can on a road with 2 or more lanes your way. See slow down, move over laws in Canada.
- Transit buses: yield to a stopped transit bus signalling to pull out when the limit is 60 km/h or less and it is safe. This does not apply to school buses.
- Third GDL stage: since 1 April 2015 the restricted individual stage (Class 5R with condition 47) adds 2 years after the newly licensed stage.
- Learner’s licence: valid for 2 years, up from 1.
Handbook figures the 2026 regulations replace
The handbook still prints these older figures. Learn the new ones.
| Topic | Handbook | Regulations in force 19 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| New residents driving on an outside licence | 90 days | 180 days from becoming resident (Reg. 226/2026, section 36) |
| Car registered elsewhere, new resident | 30 days | Exempt for up to 180 days as a resident (Reg. 244/2026, section 13) |
| Inspection of a private car | Every year | Every 2 years; a new car first at 3 years (Reg. 245/2026) |
| Studded tires | 15 October to 30 April | 15 October to 31 May (Using the Road Regulations, section 71) |
| Learner wait before the road test | 6 months, or 3 with a course | 12 months, or 9 with a Class 5 course (Reg. 236/2026, section 9) |
| Supervising driver | 2 years’ experience, out of GDL | Holds the right licence and is not a learner, newly licensed or other novice driver (Reg. 226/2026, section 8) |
| Point removal by course | Up to 4 points in 5 years | Up to 4 points in 24 months (Reg. 226/2026, section 23) |
| Serious convictions | Revocation | Set suspension periods (Reg. 223/2026, Schedule C, Schedule A) |
What about GDL and demerit points?
The GDL rules now sit in two regulations under the Act: the Driver’s Licence Regulations (N.S. Reg. 226/2026) and the Driver Licensing Requirements Regulations (N.S. Reg. 236/2026). They keep the same structure that Service Nova Scotia’s licence pages describe:
- 12 months as a learner, or 9 with a Class 5 driver education course (Reg. 236/2026, section 9)
- 24 months as a newly licensed driver plus a completed course before a full Class 5 (Reg. 236/2026, section 8)
- the midnight to 5 a.m. curfew and the one-front-seat-passenger rule for 5N drivers (Reg. 226/2026, section 5)
- zero alcohol, and no drugs you are not legally allowed to use for a medical purpose, for learners, newly licensed drivers and other novice drivers (Reg. 226/2026, section 7). A novice driver includes anyone in their first 2 years on a full licence after leaving the 5N (N.S. Reg. 221/2026, section 16)
- the 4-point (learner) and 6-point (newly licensed) suspension thresholds
The RMV pages still cite the Motor Vehicle Act. The Driver’s Licence Regulations (N.S. Reg. 226/2026) also keep the 4-point learner and 6-point 5N thresholds, set 10 points for fully licensed drivers, and fix a 6-month suspension. They still allow a conditional licence during a points suspension, but not for learners. Confirm current GDL conditions and demerit rules with Service Nova Scotia (902-424-5851) before relying on them. See demerit points for new drivers.
Common questions
When did the Nova Scotia Traffic Safety Act come into force?
19 October 2026. The Act and its first regulations took effect the same day.
Is the Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook still valid?
It is still the official study guide, but it predates the Act. Where the handbook and the new rules differ (for example the 15 cm curb rule), the new rules apply.
Will the learner’s test include the new rules?
Expect it to. Learn both the handbook and the changes above.
Do I still need to stop for a school bus on the other side of the road?
Yes on an undivided road. Only a physical median on a divided highway lets opposite-direction traffic keep going. See school bus rules across Canada.
Does my licence change?
Licences issued under the old Act that continue under the new one take on its terms for the equivalent licence (N.S. Reg. 231/2026, section 5). Ask Service Nova Scotia if you are unsure about your own card.
Back to learning to drive in Nova Scotia, or read Nova Scotia rules of the road.
Sources
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Changes to traffic safety legislation” (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Changes to traffic safety legislation: Driving schools” (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Traffic Safety Act Interpretation Regulations, Order in Council 2026-343” (novascotia.ca)
- Government of Nova Scotia, “Nova Scotians to Have Input on New Traffic Safety Act Drivers Regulations” (novascotia.ca)
- Province of Nova Scotia, N.S. Reg. 226/2026, Driver’s Licence Regulations, sections 5, 7, 8, 21, 22, 23, 30 and 36 (novascotia.ca)
- Province of Nova Scotia, N.S. Reg. 231/2026, Traffic Safety Act Transition Regulations, section 5; N.S. Reg. 244/2026, Vehicle Documents Regulations, section 13; N.S. Reg. 245/2026, Vehicle Equipment, Safety and Inspection Regulations (novascotia.ca)
- Province of Nova Scotia, N.S. Reg. 236/2026, Driver Licensing Requirements Regulations, sections 8, 9, 36 and 38 (novascotia.ca)
- Province of Nova Scotia, N.S. Reg. 221/2026, Traffic Safety Act Interpretation Regulations, sections 14 and 16 (novascotia.ca)
- Province of Nova Scotia, Using the Road Regulations, sections 96 to 102 (novascotia.ca)
- Service Nova Scotia, “Nova Scotia Driver’s Handbook” (novascotia.ca)
- Service Nova Scotia, “Learner’s (Beginner’s) Licence” (novascotia.ca)
- Service Nova Scotia, “Newly Licensed Driver’s Licence” (novascotia.ca)