Photo: Alan Sim, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This checklist pulls the testable facts from Chapters 2 to 8 of the NWT Driver’s Manual: signs, signals, pavement markings, parking, intersections, lane driving, emergencies and sharing the road. Use it to revise for the NWT knowledge test, which has 20 questions on rules and 20 on signs. Unless a sign says otherwise, the NWT speed limit is 90 km/h on a primary highway outside a settlement and 50 km/h inside one.
NWT speed limits unless otherwise posted
| Where | Limit |
|---|---|
| Primary highway outside a settlement or municipality | 90 km/h |
| Highway within a settlement or municipality | 50 km/h |
| School zone (when signed with a speed tab) | Generally 30 km/h, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week unless times are posted |
| Playground zone (when signed with a speed tab) | Generally 30 km/h, 24/7 unless times are posted |
| Construction zone | Posted limit at all times; speeding fines doubled when workers are present |
Municipal bylaws can set different school and playground zone hours. A speed limit is a maximum for ideal conditions: any speed unsafe for the conditions is illegal. You cannot pass a vehicle going the same way in a school or playground zone while it is in effect.
Sign shapes and colours to memorize
| Shape or colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red octagon | Stop |
| Red triangle with white border | Yield |
| Red circle with slash | Prohibited |
| Green circle | Permitted |
| White rectangle | Regulatory |
| Fluorescent yellow-green pentagon | School area |
| Yellow diamond | Warning |
| Orange diamond | Construction warning |
| Green rectangle | Direction |
| Brown or blue square | Roadside facilities |
| Black rectangle | One way |
A police officer’s directions override any sign or signal. The slow-moving vehicle sign marks farm, machinery or construction vehicles built for under 40 km/h: slow down when you see it.
Traffic signals checklist
- Steady red: stop at the stop line or crosswalk. Right turn allowed after a full stop unless a sign forbids it. Left turn from a one-way onto a one-way also allowed after a full stop.
- Steady amber: stop unless you cannot do so safely.
- Steady green: go, but turning traffic yields to pedestrians and vehicles already in the intersection.
- Flashing green arrow: turn in the arrow’s direction, even with a red light, yielding to anyone in the intersection.
- Flashing red: treat as a stop sign.
- Flashing amber: proceed with caution. With a school or pedestrian sign, slow to the posted speed.
- Red X over a lane: do not enter or stay in that lane. Downward green arrow: lane open.
- Vertical signals: red top, amber middle, green bottom. Horizontal: red left, green right.
- Pedestrian signals: “walk” lets pedestrians start crossing; “wait” or “don’t walk” means they must not start. Anyone who began crossing legally may finish, so turning drivers still yield to them. If the pedestrian signal beside your green light changes from “walk” to “don’t walk”, expect your light to turn amber soon.
Pavement markings checklist
- Yellow lines separate opposite directions; the yellow line should be on your left.
- White lines separate traffic going the same way.
- Broken yellow: passing allowed when safe. Solid yellow (rural): no passing. Solid plus broken: only the side with the broken line may pass.
- Broken white: lane changes allowed. Solid white: no lane changes.
- Diamonds: reserved lane. “X”: railway crossing ahead. Painted island: never drive over it.
Parking rules and distances (Chapter 3)
| Rule | Distance |
|---|---|
| Wheels from curb when parked | No more than 30 cm |
| No parking in front of a stop sign, yield sign or traffic light at the roadside | Within 5 m |
| No parking near a fire hydrant | Within 3 m |
| No parking before a marked crosswalk (near side) | Within 6 m |
| Parked outside an urban area | Must be visible for 60 m both ways |
Hill parking: facing uphill with a curb, turn the wheels left; uphill without a curb or facing downhill, turn them right. Always set the park brake. Leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running and doors unlocked is illegal in the NWT.
Stopping distances on dry pavement
| Speed | Total stopping distance |
|---|---|
| 30 km/h | 18 m |
| 50 km/h | 37 m |
| 80 km/h | 76 m |
| 100 km/h | 108 m |
| 110 km/h | 126 m |
The manual bases these on about 3/4 of a second to perceive a hazard and 3/4 of a second to react, before braking starts.
Intersections and right-of-way (Chapter 4)
- With no stop line or crosswalk, stop within 3 metres of the intersecting road.
- Four-way stop: first to stop goes first; if two arrive together, the vehicle on the right goes first.
- Uncontrolled intersection: yield to the vehicle on your right. Parking lots count as uncontrolled unless signed.
- Traffic circle: entering traffic yields to traffic already in the circle, and the vehicle on the right yields to the vehicle on the left. Use the right lane for the first exit, the left lane for the second exit or beyond, and signal right to leave.
- Never pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian at a crosswalk.
- Be in the correct turning lane at least 15 metres before the intersection.
- Waiting to turn left: keep the wheels straight so a rear-end hit doesn’t push you into oncoming traffic.
- No left turn on red from a two-way road into a one-way road.
- Added lane (free flow) sign: the two roads converge with a lane added, so no stop, yield or merge is needed. Still check for traffic in the new lane.
- U-turns in urban areas are banned between intersections, at traffic lights, at alley intersections and where signed. Outside urban areas they are banned on curves and near hill crests.
- Signal when leaving the curb, turning, changing lanes and stopping.
Lane driving (Chapter 5)
- Keep right on any road wide enough, and drive in the centre of your lane.
- Do not drive on the shoulder, even to let someone pass. It is for emergency parking.
- Lane change order: check it is allowed, mirrors, shoulder check, signal, then move.
- Passing is illegal when oncoming vehicles are too close, with a solid yellow line on your side outside urban areas, in no-passing zones, in active school and playground zones, and past a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk.
- You may not exceed the speed limit while passing.
- Merging: do not stop at the end of the acceleration lane; match traffic speed and move over after the solid white line.
- Missed your exit? Carry on to the next one. Never back up on a highway.
- Weave zone: where an entrance and exit sit close together, entering traffic speeds up while exiting traffic slows, and both cross paths. Control your speed, time your lane change and give the other stream room.
- Curves: slow down before the curve, stay in your lane, accelerate slightly once in it, and never pass or cut the corner. Hills: take care near the crest and keep to the right of your lane in case an oncoming car has drifted over.
- Coasting downhill in neutral or with the clutch in is illegal.
Emergencies and sharing the road (Chapters 6 to 8)
| Topic | The rule |
|---|---|
| Following distance | At least 2 seconds in normal conditions, more when weather or roads are poor |
| Headlights | Required at night and whenever you cannot see clearly for 150 m. Low beams within 150 m behind a vehicle and 300 m of an oncoming one |
| Collisions | Stay at the scene, help and exchange licence, registration and insurance details. Report to police if total damage is over $2,000, or at once if you hit a traffic control device, railway signal, parking meter or other public property. Leave your details on an unattended vehicle you damage |
| Approaching emergency vehicle | Move clear of any intersection, pull to the right edge (nearest curb on a one-way street) and stop until it passes. Never follow within 150 m |
| Emergency flashing lights ahead | Slow to half the posted limit, change lanes if needed and pull right. Stop to let the emergency vehicle pass and follow any directions |
| School buses | Flashing amber: get ready to stop. Flashing red on an undivided road: stop before you reach the bus, from either direction. On a median-divided highway, traffic behind must stop; traffic from the front may go |
| Pedestrians | Stop before the crosswalk once someone has entered it, far enough back for other lanes to see them. Never pass a vehicle when approaching a crosswalk |
| Cyclists and motorcycles | A cyclist counts as a vehicle by law. Check for cyclists before you turn right or open a door. A motorcycle needs its whole lane, so never drive alongside one in it |
| Railway crossings | Stop 5 to 15 m from the nearest rail at a stop sign, and no closer than 5 m at flashing lights. Never go around a gate or change gears on the tracks. If you stall, get everyone out and away from the track. Treat light rail crossings the same way: never drive around a gate, even after a train has passed |
| Children and passengers | The driver is responsible for restraining every passenger under 15. A child under 6 weighing up to 18 kg must be in a child safety seat. Nobody may ride in an open pickup box, with very limited exceptions, or in a towed house trailer |
| Careless driving | Driving without due care or reasonable consideration for others is an offence. So is straddling two lanes, unless conditions make one lane impractical |
For what to do if something fails on the vehicle, see car emergencies in Canada.
Defensive driving and funerals (Chapters 7 and 8)
Chapter 7 opens with one rule: never assume other drivers will drive carefully. Driving defensively means avoiding collisions caused by other people’s mistakes. Scan about 12 to 15 seconds ahead in town (one to one and a half blocks) and about 25 seconds ahead on rural roads, and check mirrors and blind spots regularly. For the full method, see see-think-do and IPDE and eye lead time.
Funeral processions: you may not cut into or break through a funeral procession, a military procession or an authorized parade. Drivers inside a procession, with headlights on and following closely, may continue through a stop sign or red light when safe, unless they are the lead vehicle.
Common questions
What is the default speed limit on NWT highways?
90 km/h on a primary highway outside a settlement or municipality, unless signs say otherwise.
Can you turn right on a red light in the NWT?
Yes, after a full stop, unless a sign prohibits it. Yield to pedestrians and cross traffic.
Who goes first at an NWT traffic circle?
Traffic already in the circle. Entering traffic yields.
How close to a fire hydrant can I park?
No closer than 3 metres.
Are school zones in effect at night?
Unless times are posted, yes: the school zone limit applies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Is the manual the only thing I need to study?
Driver Services says the test is based on the NWT Basic Driver’s Manual. Flash cards are also sold at Driver and Vehicle offices.
Back to the full guide: Learning to drive in the Northwest Territories. Next: NWT knowledge test and road test, school bus stopping rules and driving NWT ice roads and gravel highways.
Sources
- Government of the Northwest Territories, Department of Infrastructure, “Driver’s Manual: A guide to safely operate cars and light trucks”, Chapters 2 to 8 (idmv.inf.gov.nt.ca)
- Government of the Northwest Territories, “Book, cancel, or rebook a written or practical examination” (idmv.inf.gov.nt.ca)
- Government of the Northwest Territories, “Driver manuals” (idmv.inf.gov.nt.ca)