On October 19, 2026, British Columbia will change how new drivers progress through the Graduated Licensing Program (GLP). The second road test will be eliminated and replaced with a Driving Record Assessment. Drivers who qualify can upgrade to a Class 5 licence with restrictions, including a zero blood-alcohol and zero blood-drug-content restriction for 12 months.
The government says the change will maintain road safety while making licensing simpler and more accessible. It cites research from Australia suggesting that a clean driving record over time may predict subsequent crash involvement better than performance on an exit test alone, although combining both measures had the strongest predictive effect.
What did the research actually find, and does the evidence support removing the second road test from B.C.'s licensing system?
What is changing?
Under the existing GLP, a new driver must pass a knowledge test, hold a learner's licence for the required period and pass a practical road test to become a novice driver. After completing the novice stage, the driver must pass a second road test to obtain a Class 5 licence.
Starting October 19, eligible novice drivers will generally be able to replace the second road test with a Driving Record Assessment. Drivers under 25 must complete 24 months of safe novice driving, or 18 months if they complete an approved GLP course during the learner stage. Drivers aged 25 and older can qualify after 12 months of safe novice driving, following a minimum nine-month learner stage.
Drivers already in the GLP may follow one of two processes. Some eligible drivers will receive a one-time automatic upgrade to a Class 5 licence with restrictions, following notification from ICBC. Other drivers must apply for a Driving Record Assessment at an ICBC driver licensing office once they meet the eligibility requirements. An automatic upgrade requires no application, although drivers whose licences expire before October 19, 2026, must renew them to remain eligible.
The resulting Class 5 licence will include restrictions, including zero blood-alcohol and zero blood-drug-content requirements for a further 12 months.
ICBC's published criteria for the Driving Record Assessment include completing the required period of safe driving, having no convictions for excessive speeding or electronic-device use during that period, and having no driving prohibitions or suspensions. Certain offences can delay eligibility by restarting the required period of safe novice driving.
RoadSafetyBC's Driver Improvement Program also uses driving records to identify drivers whose behaviour warrants intervention. Its Driver Improvement Program policies and guidelines describe escalating interventions based on penalty points accumulated over 24 months, as well as separate criteria for new drivers with previous prohibitions.
These measures recognize that repeated offences can reveal a pattern of unsafe behaviour. However, does a record without disqualifying entries provide sufficient evidence of driving competence?
The government says the changes will bring B.C. into line with other jurisdictions and reduce licensing barriers, particularly for people in rural, remote and Indigenous communities who may have to travel considerable distances to take a road test. The government's announcement of the GLP changes explains its rationale and outlines the planned evaluation.
Further details are available on ICBC's Graduated Licensing Program changes page.
What evidence supports the change?
During legislative debate on October 20, 2025, Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger referred to research from New South Wales, Australia, and the Graduated Driver Licensing Framework developed by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF). She argued that safe driving behaviour demonstrated over time may be a better predictor of future safety than performance during a single road test. She also noted that most Canadian jurisdictions do not require a second road test before a driver progresses to a full licence. The legislative debate transcript provides the context for these remarks.
These are relevant considerations. A road test samples driving performance briefly, while a driving record can provide information about behaviour over a longer period. However, predicting future collisions and measuring driving competence are not the same thing. A measure can help predict risk without fully assessing a person's ability to drive safely.
What did the Australian research find?
The Australian Graduated Licensing Scheme policy framework summarizes findings from the Roads and Traffic Authority's 2009 research. Performance on an exit test predicted subsequent crashes, but a clean driving record during the two-year provisional period was more predictive of subsequent crash involvement. Using both measures had the strongest predictive effect.
The research therefore supports using a clean driving record to assess risk, but it does not establish that a driving record can replace a road test without losing useful information. The framework also noted that further evaluation was needed to determine whether the safety benefits of an exit test or a clean driving record justified their administrative costs.
See the Australian Graduated Licensing Scheme policy framework.
What does TIRF recommend?
TIRF's Graduated Driver Licensing Framework recognizes that a clean driving record can be used as an alternative to, or in addition to, an exit test. It also explains that an advanced road test can assess higher-order driving skills, including hazard perception, situational awareness and decision-making.
Although research on the safety benefits of advanced exit tests is limited, TIRF supports their use on logical grounds and recommends an advanced on-road or computer-based test for progression to a full, unrestricted licence. It also recognizes that a clean record may be an appropriate alternative for novice drivers who repeatedly fail a road test and eventually age out of the graduated licensing system.
TIRF's position is not that a clean record should always replace a practical assessment. Rather, it recognizes the potential value of both approaches while acknowledging the limits of the available research.
See the TIRF framework's discussion of licensing tests and exit testing.
What does a driving record tell us?
In my experience in traffic enforcement, a driving record containing multiple entries can be a strong indication of persistent unsafe behaviour. One mistake may be isolated, but repeated offences suggest a pattern that deserves attention. Convictions for excessive speeding and electronic-device use, along with driving prohibitions and suspensions, provide relevant information about a driver's conduct.
However, drivers may have difficulty judging gaps in traffic, checking blind spots, maintaining lane position, selecting a safe speed for conditions or recognizing developing hazards without ever receiving a conviction. Police cannot observe every driver, and not every unsafe action results in a collision or enforcement action.
A road test provides different information. It allows an examiner to observe a driver's performance in actual traffic and assess specific skills and behaviours. Although it is only a limited sample and cannot guarantee future safety, it can reveal weaknesses that a driving record alone may not show. Conversely, a single test cannot establish how a driver will behave over time.
Does more time behind the wheel guarantee competence?
The government argues that experience gained over time is important to long-term safety. New drivers need opportunities to develop their skills, recognize hazards and make sound decisions in changing traffic conditions.
However, the passage of time does not automatically produce competence. Two novice drivers may hold their licences for the same period but accumulate very different amounts and types of experience. One may drive regularly in varied conditions and receive constructive guidance. Another may drive infrequently on familiar routes and repeat mistakes without recognizing them.
Structured driver education is another consideration. Approved GLP courses provide instruction and supervised practice, and B.C. recognizes course completion by allowing eligible drivers under 25 to shorten the required novice period. Training can help drivers develop practical skills, but course completion alone cannot guarantee competence any more than a clean driving record can. The question is how driver education, practical assessment and demonstrated driving behaviour can complement one another in preparing new drivers for greater privileges.
A driver who rarely drives may have little opportunity to develop or demonstrate competence, yet the absence of disqualifying convictions may allow that driver to progress.
During legislative debate, the minister acknowledged that some people remain novice drivers for many years. She argued that they had passed their initial knowledge and road tests and that the existing system continues to monitor their behaviour. That addresses part of the concern, but it does not answer whether someone with little practical experience should have the same opportunity to progress as a driver who has driven regularly in a wide range of conditions.
What about other jurisdictions?
The government has pointed out that Ontario is the only other Canadian jurisdiction requiring a second road test to exit its graduated licensing program. It also noted that three of the four provinces with the lowest motor-vehicle fatality rates do not have an exit test.
These comparisons are worth considering, but they do not establish that eliminating a second test produces better safety outcomes. Licensing requirements are only one influence on collision rates. Driver experience, enforcement, road environments and traffic exposure also matter. Differences between jurisdictions cannot, on their own, establish the safety effect of a particular licensing requirement.
How will B.C. measure the results?
During the October 2025 legislative debate, Minister Krieger said the government would monitor the changes using available data, including crash rates, licence completion and driving behaviours. She also said a formal evaluation was planned at approximately the five-year mark. In response to a question about public access, she described the evaluation as an internal exercise, while noting that ICBC and RoadSafetyBC would continue publishing annual collision statistics. These statements are available in the legislative debate transcript.
General collision statistics are not the same as an evaluation of this particular policy. A meaningful assessment should examine collision involvement among drivers who progress under the new system and compare the results with an appropriate baseline. As far as the available data allows, it should account for factors such as age, driving exposure and changes in traffic conditions.
The government should explain what results would indicate that the change has succeeded or that further safeguards are needed. Publishing the evaluation would allow road-safety professionals and the public to examine the findings and understand the basis for its conclusions.
Conclusion
B.C. has chosen to replace the second road test with a Driving Record Assessment and an additional period of restrictions. The research cited by the government supports considering a driver's record over time, but it also identifies value in combining a clean record with an exit test. TIRF similarly recognizes the potential contribution of both approaches while acknowledging the limits of the available evidence.
The key question is whether the revised system will effectively identify novice drivers who are not ready for greater driving privileges. New drivers deserve a fair opportunity to develop their skills, and other road users deserve confidence that the licensing system takes reasonable steps to establish their readiness.
The government should publish the results of its evaluation and be prepared to reconsider the approach if the evidence does not support the intended safety outcomes. Road safety should be measured by what happens on our roads, not simply by how efficiently we issue licences.
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