Relocation services for British Columbia, Canada

Learning to drive

It is hard to imagine being able to exist in north America without being able to drive. As a new resident in B.C. you have three months before you need to get a B.C. driving licence. This may seem strange as visitors can drive on their UK licenses for six months.

Depending on where you are, it is worth booking your driving test early on as there can be waiting lists. With their graduated licensing program, there are a lot of teens being tested!

For existing adult drivers the test is in two parts:

1. Knowledge test
2. Road test

Knowledge test

There are 50 multiple choice questions, which you take on a computer at any test center. The pass mark is 80%.

The test is over as soon as you reach the pass mark, or make enough wrong answers to fail.

You can skip questions and come back to them later. This is a good idea as, with luck, you will not have to come back to these ones.

If you fail, you can take the test again a week later - and pay another fee ($15 at present).

You can do a mini version of the knowledge test online at the ICBC site.

Road test

Victoria’s Parliament building
with horse drawn carriage.
Photo courtesy of Tourism Victoria.The road test takes about an hour. You will probably be taken through school zones, along the highway, and do a number of left turns. There is also a three-point turn and reversing into a parking space. Parallel parking is not usually part of the test.

Note that if you fail, they will take away your driving licence. You will not be able to drive home, so do have an alternative arrangements - just in case!

If you come from any large town in the UK, you will probably find the traffic quite light. There are differences from the UK, such as four-way stops and turning right on a red light, that you should ensure you understand. Believe it or not reading the manual will help with this.

Some people prefer to have one or two driving lessons to make sure that their driving meets Canadian standards. It may be worth it as failing your test is likely to be a major inconvenience. We did not take lessons however and both passed first time.

Note, if you are using a rental car for your test, be sure to check that this is acceptable. You need to read the small print of the rental policies. Many car rental companies are actually very explicit about it and don’t cover you if you are taking a driving test in their cars.

Some driving tips for the road test

• Look out for school zones, play areas etc and keep to the speed limits. Failure to do so is an instant fail.
• Make sure you shoulder check. This means looking over your left shoulder when changing lanes, turning left. Remember to shoulder check over your right shoulder when turning right or moving into the right hand lane. They are keen on 360° awareness.
• Left turns. Only one car moves into the junction to wait for the turn. While waiting do not turn your wheels - you need to keep them pointing straight ahead until you actually make the turn.
• You will need to cope with 3 and 4 way stops. Make sure you understand these.
• When you come to a stop in traffic, leave enough room ahead of you so that you can see the wheels of the vehicle in front.
• When turning the steering wheel use hand over hand movements rather than shuffling the wheel through your hands (as is done in the UK for example).
• Come to a full stop at junctions. Rolling stops are not acceptable. Stop at the point when the stop line disappears from view. Remember to shoulder check when moving off.
• Don’t cross solid lines as this is an instant fail.
• You will have to reverse into a parking stall and may have to parallel park and do a 3 point turn.

Young drivers

Teenagers start driving here from their 16th birthday onwards. B.C. has a graduated licensing program, designed to reduce accidents among young drivers. This means it takes at least three years before a teenager gets their full licence.

There are three stages:

1. Knowledge test
   (earliest 16th birthday)
2. First road test
   (9-12 months after knowledge test - aged 17)
3. Second road test
   (24 months after first road test - age 19)

Knowledge test

This test is the same as the adult one. If you are under 19, you will need a parent or guardian to sign the forms. You will also need two forms of id, including your birth certificate.

Once you have passed the knowledge test you will be issued with a learner's permit. This entitles you to drive with the following restrictions:

1. You display an L on the vehicle.
2. You must be accompanied by an adult (over 25) with a full licence.
3. You can only have two passengers, including the adult supervisor.
4. Zero blood alcohol content.
5. No driving between midnight and 5am.

First road test

Upper Levels Highway,
West VancouverYou can only take the first test after you have been driving on your learner's permit for a year. This time can be reduced to 9 months if you have taken the Young Drivers course and have at least 30 hours of driving experience. This course costs approximately $1,000.

The first road test is relatively short, lasting about 45 minutes. It likely involves driving through a lot of intersections, left and right turns, 4-way stops, to see that you use proper procedures and do the required shoulder checks. You may well be going through school zones to check you obey speed limits. You will be asked to identify hazards. This is done when you are stopped.

There is also a parallel parking test. Luckily they do it with only one car, i.e. no car behind you. This is relatively easy and my daughter learnt it in one lesson with Young Drivers (I didn't teach her the maneuver as I didn't know it was part of the test). At the end of the test you have to back into a parking space.

Once you have passed you will be able to drive with the following restrictions:

1. You must display an N on the vehicle.
2. You can only have one passenger unless they are immediate family or they are an adult (over 25) with a full licence.
3. Zero blood alcohol.

Second road test

You have to wait two years before you can take the second road test. You will want to pass the test so that you can drive without the restrictions that apply to N drivers.