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DriveSmart BC – Driver’s Licence Restrictions

My girls attend high school and daily I watch as many of these students fill their cars with friends while displaying the “N” reports a reader. They go on to say that they spoke to their girls about this and the girls said that these young people just ignore that stipulation because no one checks and it is a nuisance being allowed to only carry one passenger.

These youth aren’t making the connections when they have the “N” designation as to what they are doing and the consequences there will be should they be involved in a collision.

Unfortunately, this reader is not telling me anything new, and it is not just the youth, it is the adults too. I once stopped a woman who was driving with an “L”, her husband and two children in car seats. Her licence restrictions allowed her only one passenger.

I was able to extend my vocabulary with some of the words that were directed at me after I served that ticket.

When the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP) debuted in BC, police took the view that there should be little leeway given to new drivers so that they would learn quickly that failing to follow the rules had significant consequences, which really meant loss of their licence for a period of time. It was hoped that if they learned this at the start of their driving career perhaps less correction would be needed later on.

Whether this policing attitude was prevalent or not, it soon became apparent that RoadSafetyBC was handing out a significant number of prohibitions.

New drivers face licence sanctions when they receive 4 to 6 penalty points and a moving violation coupled with failing to display a new driver sign put them there with one traffic stop. This resulted in the creation of a charging section for failing to display the sign that carried no points.

Failing to follow other restrictions still carries 3 points on conviction.

Is the system working? Maybe, but then there are multi-fatality crashes occurring. Had that driver followed the rules, perhaps there would have been fewer deaths, or even no collision as there would not have been an audience to perform for. Perhaps officers need to go back to issuing the 3 point ticket for all restriction violations and refusing to let the vehicle proceed until all is in order. Short term pain for long term gain.

Parents have the biggest stake in the solution. The police cannot set the attitude at home and it is their responsibility to see that young drivers follow all the rules. After all, they supply the permissions for both licences and vehicles until the youth reach age 18.

CodeDescription
06Ignition Interlock Required
10Operation of motorcycle allowed between sunrise and sunset only. No passengers permitted on motorcycle
11Operation of motorcycle permitted only while under the direct supervision of an adult who holds a valid Class 6 driver’s licence. Maximum speed of 60 km/h
12Daylight hours only
13Class 6 or 8 not permitted to carry passengers
14No Hwy 99 South of Vancouver or Hwy 1 East of Van or West of Hwy 9
15Permitted to operate vehicles with air brakes
16Not permitted to operate Class 2 or 4
17Not permitted to operate buses
18Permitted to operate single trucks with air brakes on industrial roads
19Permitted to operate truck trailer with air brakes on industrial roads
20Permitted to operate truck trailer of any GVW without air brakes
21Corrective lenses required
22*W* commercial class not qualified in USA
23Hearing aid required
24Class 6 or 8 restricted to motor scooters
25Fitted prosthesis/leg brace required
26Specified vehicle modifications required
28Restricted to automatic transmission
35Not permitted to exceed 60 km/h
36Not permitted to exceed 80 km/h
38Class 8L motorcycle learner licence restriction
39GLP – Qualified supervisor age 25+ required, 1 passenger limit
43GLP – Class 7 Learner’s Licence. Restricted to 5 am to midnight only
45GLP – 1 passenger unless supervisor age 25+. Family exempt
46GLP – 0 BAC/BDC; Must display *L* Sign; no electronic device use
47GLP – 0 BAC/BDC; Must display *N* Sign; no electronic device use
51May be either a restriction or an endorsement. Follow the specific criteria written on your licence.
-- 
Tim Schewe
Road Safety Advocate
DriveSmartBC.ca

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