Organization : Saskatchewan Driver’s Licensing & Vehicle Registration
Type of Facility : Get Your Licence
Country: Canada
Website : https://www.sgi.sk.ca/individuals/licensing/getyourlicence/index.html
Get Your Licence:
To drive in Saskatchewan you must hold a valid driver’s licence for the type of vehicle you wish to operate. To get a driver’s licence, you must be able to operate a vehicle safely and properly, understand all traffic signs and know the rules of the road.
Related : Insurance Corporation of British Columbia How To Apply For A Vehicle Identification Number Canada : www.statusin.org/25707.html
You’re also required to pass a driver exam if:
** You’ve never been a licensed driver.
** You have not held a Saskatchewan driver’s licence within the past 5 years.
** You wish to change the class of your licence or get an endorsement.
** You’re a new resident, and the licence you hold is from another province, state or country not honoured in Saskatchewan.
A driver exam is made up of 3 different tests:
** knowledge test
** vision test
** road test
Review the Saskatchewan Driver’s handbook for details about these tests.
Some classes of licence also require a medical exam.
New drivers:
If you are a new driver applying for a driver’s licence, you must successfully complete the Graduated Driver’s Licensing (GDL) program.
The GDL program introduces you to the driving environment in 3 stages:
** Learner – a minimum of 9 months
** Novice 1 – lasts for 6 months
** Novice 2 – lasts for 12 months
Each stage moves you gradually into higher risk driving situations and comes with certain driving restrictions.
As you pass through the stages and gain experience, you earn more driving privileges and see fewer restrictions until you graduate to an experienced Class 5 driver’s licence.
Note: Drivers in the GDL program cannot use any type of cellphone while driving – neither hand-held nor hands free.
New driver practice log
While practising for your Class 5 driver’s licence, track your hours with the Practice log for new drivers (pdf, 16 kb).
By completing the practice log, you have the chance to win 1 of 10 $250 gas cards.
To be eligible, you must submit the completed practice log to your driver examiner at the time of your Class 5 road test or mail it to:
SGI Driver Development
2260-11th Avenue
Regina, SK S4P 2N7
On Dec. 31 of each year, SGI will draw 10 winners from all practice logs submitted during the year.
A supervisor’s guide to practice sessions:
The new driver should be able to master each of these skills to become a safe driver and pass a road test.
Pre-drive and introduction:
** Instrument panel familiarity (vehicle controls, lights, wipers, etc.)
** Proper seating position, hand position and mirror adjustment
Introduce basic driving techniques:
** Starting and stopping smoothly
** Steering exercise: forward and reverse
** Hand over hand steering
** Shoulder checks, blind spots and signalling
** Visual search patterns: look up and reference down
** Timing practice: following distance and timing to stationary objects
Introduce city driving:
** Visual search patterns: look up, reference down, fill in the gap, sweep side-to-side, check speedometer and rear view mirror and look up
** Identify, Predict, Decide and Execute (IPDE) real and potential hazards
** Intersections: controlled and uncontrolled
** Right and left turns
** Changing lanes
Highway driving:
** Maintaining speed control and following distance
** Merging and exiting on the highway
** Changing lanes
** Two-point turn
** Visual search patterns and IPDE
** Negotiating gravel roads
** Passing technique: judging when it is safe to pass, overtaking and passing vehicles, etc.
City driving and parking:
** Changing lanes on multi-lane streets
** Turning onto 1-way streets
** Visual search patterns and IPDE
** Negotiating intersections
** Parking: angle, right angle, hill and parallel
** Maintaining a minimum 3-second following distance
** Performing U-turns
Night driving:
** Visual search patterns and IPDE
** Speed control
** High and low beam use
** Passing and being passed
** Maintaining a minimum 3-second following distance
Review:
** Review of all previous lessons
Points to remember:
** Be patient and start slowly.
** Use your “learner driver” sign.
** Don’t assume that learner drivers know what you mean when you ask them to perform various driving manoeuvres.
** Be specific and give detailed step-by-step instructions.
** Talk the learner driver through each and every step.
** Don’t expose the learner driver to something they are not ready for.
** Practise driving regularly throughout the entire 9 months of the learning stage in all driving conditions.
** Build on the learner driver’s skills by gradually introducing more complex traffic situations.
** Ask the learner driver to explain what is being seen ahead (commentator driving).
Be aware of typical driver errors such as:
** failing to shoulder check
** turning the steering wheel while shoulder checking (the learner driver should just move their head and not their shoulders)
** driving too far to one side of their lane
** braking too late
** misjudging time and distance
** driving too fast for road conditions
** freezing up when unsure what to do
It’s important to supplement driving lessons with practice:
** in dense traffic situations
** on 1-way streets
** for left turns at traffic lights and boulevards
** driving on gravel roads
** backing the vehicle
** parallel parking
** night driving (at least 10 hours)
Try to ensure that you are practising in different traffic and weather conditions, and at different times of the day. Studies have shown that practice is critical.
For additional valuable tips and information, please refer to your copy of A Guide to Supervising New Drivers.
Don’t be a statistic:
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury and death among Saskatchewan’s new drivers. The GDL program is in place to ensure new drivers learn and demonstrate safe driving habits, before getting their Class 5 driver’s licence.