Ontario's tough level 2 driver test

By: Drivers.com staff
Date: 1998-09-09

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Anyone who feels that tougher testing for drivers will go a long way towards reducing bad driving and traffic crashes should keep a close eye on Canada's Province of Ontario. In April 1994, Ontario introduced a system of graduated driver licensing that requires novice drivers to pass two tests in order to obtain full license privileges. At age 16, novice drivers in Ontario can apply for a learner's permit and enter the province's Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS). It takes at least 20 months to progress through the system, and novices move from the first (learner) phase by passing a Level One (G1) test after 12 months of supervised driving (8 months if a formal driver education program is completed).

In phase two, most of the restrictions are lifted and novices can then drive on their own. After a minimum of 12 months in phase two they can take the second (G2) test to exit the system and obtain full license privileges. The G2 test is longer (about 40 minutes) and considerably tougher, according to Ministry of Transport officials.

Drivers coming from jurisdictions outside the province that have driver licensing exchange agreements with Ontario (all Canadian provinces and territories, the United States, and Japan) are exempt from the conditions of GDL provided they have at least two years' driving experience.

Ontario is unique in requiring two tests as part of the licensing process. It is also unique in having a test that is based on research and has been established as valid and reliable in its objective of determining whether a driver has reached a level of competence and experience compatible with the province's standards.

The test demands a high standard of training for the province's driver examiners, who now have to take regular refresher courses in addition to their basic training in applying the test. This is a key factor in maintaining the validity of the test, according to Dr. Ray Engel of Engel and Townsend Inc., the consulting company that developed the test.

Examiners have very specific items to watch for when marking the test, says Engel, and they have to go through a training process designed to ensure that every examiner will apply the same standards in marking a driver's errors. Another key factor in the test's effectiveness is that it is designed to standardize the test as much as possible, so that drivers throughout the province are subjected to a similar test.

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