IBC applauds changes to Nova Scotia’s graduated licensing program

Insurance Bureau of Canada is applauding the Nova Scotia government for making important changes to the province’s graduated driver licensing (GDL) program.
“These changes will significantly make Nova Scotia’s roads safer,” said Don Forgeron, vice-president, Atlantic, Insurance Bureau of Canada. “They will serve to reduce the unnecessarily high number of deaths and injuries currently experienced by our young drivers.
We are especially pleased with the extension of the learner’s phase from six months to 12 months.”
The changes bring Nova Scotia in line with other provinces across the country and deal with the major components identified in a study by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation, commissioned by IBC.
Forgeron said there were two additional changes the industry would have liked to see in the government’s package: the elimination of the time discount for driver’s education, and the implementation of an age restriction for the supervisory driver.
“There is no substitute for time and experience,” said Forgeron. “The evidence shows accident rates are higher for drivers who accelerate through the learner’s phase by taking driver’s education.
“Keeping all drivers in phase one for a full 12 months ensures that they have the opportunity to drive in all seasons, in all types of weather, before moving on to the next level.”
IBC would also welcome a minimum age of 25 for supervisory drivers. Currently, it’s possible for 17-year-old novice drivers to be supervised by an 18-year-old friend.