Alberta Learners Permit

Q: I am a 14 yr old Alberta resident and I am in B.C. on vacation with my dad. I have a valid Alberta learners permit and I am driving my dads truck with him in the passenger seat...am I breaking the law?

A: No you are not breaking the law. An Alberta Learner Drivers License is only valid if you are driving the vehicle with a person 18 years of age or older and the person must hold a valid drivers license for the class of vehicle which you are driving. There is also regulations on the time of day.

Novice Operator's Licenses
Learner's operator's license
Section 11(1) of the Alberta Traffic Safety Act OPERATOR LICENSING AND VEHICLE CONTROL REGULATION indicates that a person who is 14 years old or older and less than 16 years old may apply for a learner's operator's license if a parent or guardian of the applicant consents by signing the application.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an application for a duplicate
license.
(3) The Registrar shall suspend or cancel a learner's operator's license issued to a person
(a) if the person is less than 14 years old,
(b) if the person did not submit the consent required by subsection (1), or
(c) if the parent or guardian of the person, in writing, withdraws the consent given in the application.

Supervision of learners
31 A person who is supervising a holder of a learner's operator's
license for the purposes of section 51(e), (f), (f.1) or (f.2) of the Act
shall be 18 years old or older.
Learner's operator's license
32(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), a Class 7 operator's license is classified as a learner's operator's license for the purposes of the Act and the regulations.
(2) A Class 7 operator's license is not classified as a learner's operator's license if the holder of the license is driving the following:
(a) a moped, or
(b) an off-highway vehicle on a highway pursuant to an
authorization granted under section 120(4) of the Act.
(3) Sections 51(g) and 90 of the Act apply to a holder of a Class 7
operator's license referred to in subsection (2) as if the licensee
were the holder of a learner's operator's license.
(4) A learner driver shall not drive a motor vehicle if there are
fewer seat belt assemblies as required by the Vehicle Equipment
Regulation in the vehicle than there are passengers.
(5) A learner driver shall not drive a motor vehicle during the
period between midnight and 5:00 a.m.
(6) Despite subsection (5), a learner driver shall not drive a motor
cycle or a moped during night time.
(7) A learner driver shall not apply for a Class 1, 2, 3 or 4
operator's license.
(8) A learner driver shall not apply for a Class 5 or 6 operator's license until the driver has held the learner's operator's license for at least 12 months excluding a period during which the person's operator's license is suspended or canceled or the person is disqualified from holding an operator's license.
(9) If a person holds a learner's operator's license that is canceled and later is issued another learner's operator's license, the period of the original learner's operator's license may be included in calculating the 12 months required under subsection (8).
(10) The Registrar shall not issue a Class 5 or 6 operator's license to a learner driver who has 8 or more demerit points under the Act at the time the person applies for the Class 5 or 6 operator's license if the person's Class 7 operator's license is issued before this Regulation comes into force.

Constable R.A.(Richard) ASELTON
Central Okanagan Traffic Services - Media Liaison
Kelowna R.C.M.P. Detachment

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.