Odin Says ...

Driving School Enrolment to Become Mandatory

Oct 19, 2009

'Driving The Volvo' by PhotoDu.de, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

The Quebec government is requiring all new driver license applicants to enroll in driving school classes.

The current rules do not require new drivers seeking a first license to attend driving school.  However, many applicants do enroll, since a twelve-hour course at an accredited school shortens the learner's permit period from one year to eight months.  Most schools offer six hours of theoretical instruction with twelve hours of practical driving for around $450.

The government wants to introduce an obligatory requirement consisting of twenty-four hours of classroom instruction along with fifteen hours of road training.  The lengthened courses are expected to go up in price significantly, possibly up to twice the current fees.

Historically, as of 1983, driving school courses were obligatory.  However, back in 1998, the Quebec government had waived that rule and abolished them, because there was no noticeable drop in traffic-related deaths and injuries among young drivers since the rule's inception.

Presently, the government had set an initial implementation date for the 25th of October, 2009.  However, driving schools are asking for an extension until the 1st of January, 2010.  They are claiming they need more time to train their staff and design new courses for the changes proposed.