Things you should consider before enrolling with a Ministry of Transportation, MTO-Approved Beginner Driver Education Course:

• Speak to the owner or manager and ask questions about the curriculum they offer and the topics covered.
• Speak to the in-class instructor about the instructor:student ratio. The lower the ratio, the greater the learning and the opportunity to engage in active discussions and have your questions answered
• Follow your intuition about your conversations with the instructors and owners
• Know who will be training you in the vehicle, not every instructor is the same, ask about qualifications and experience on Ontario roads.
• Check Independent Reviews, and testimonials
• Make a visit to the school if possible to meet in person
• Find out about refund policies, complaint procedures, cancellations and training standards
• Find out about pass, failure rates and what testing centres are used for the DriveTest.
• Ask for references.
• Sit in on a class or in the vehicle... this is probably the best way.
• Pricing. Is it too cheap? Pricing is not regulated by the Ministry. Take into account the pricing of the most expensive driver education program, and the lowest. Generally speaking a high to mid range priced school will assure good training standards.
• Location and Cleanliness of premises
• A good driving school will make every effort to earn your business and be transparent about their standards of driver education.

When you successfully complete a government- MTO-Approved Beginner Driver Education Course, or BDE course, the driving school will certify you online. Your student driver record will be updated through the Ministry of Transportation to show that you have completed the course.

To get proof that you've completed the course, you need to get your Driver's License History. You can request it at any Service Ontario Office or by mail. A Driver's Licence History can only be requested by the licence holder at a cost of $12.

The classroom and in-vehicle training segments of an MTO-approved BDE course consists of a minimum of 20 hours in-class, 10 hours in-vehicle instruction and 10 hours of flexible instruction totalling 40 hours for the Beginner Driver Education Certificate.

The classroom training must be delivered by a qualified MTO licensed classroom instructor and in-vehicle training must be delivered by a qualified in-vehicle driving instructor.

Student/classroom instructor ratio must not exceed a ratio of 40 to 1. MTO preferred student/classroom instructor ratio is 24 to 1.

Students are required to have a personal copy of the textbook that supports the curriculum for reference prior to and during attendance of an MTO-approved BDE course.

Students are required to have a personal copy of “The Official Driver’s Handbook” for reference prior to and during attendance of an MTO-approved BDE course.

The maximum daily classroom training provided to each student enrolled in a BDE course must not exceed 5 hours per day, excluding lunches and breaks.

The maximum daily in-vehicle instruction time shall have 2 hours per day (excluding breaks and travel time) per student, where there is no classroom instruction for that day.

There shall be a maximum of 1 hour in-vehicle instruction on the day the student receives 5 hours of in-class instruction.

Completion of the in-vehicle training must not exceed 1 year from the start of the classroom training.

Students are obligated to attend and successfully complete all lessons, including the 20 hours of in-classroom instruction, prior to qualifying for a Beginner Driver Education Certificate.

Student/behind-the-wheel instructor ratio for in-vehicle training is 2 to 1.

If a school asks to see your driver’s licence, the school may retain your driver’s licence only for as long as is necessary to make a copy of it and must return your driver’s licence immediately.

Completion of the in-vehicle training must not exceed 1 year from the start of the classroom training.

MTO-approved BDE schools are authorized to give in-class driving instruction in the operation of a Class G motor vehicle to a person who does not hold a driver’s licence (must be in the process of acquiring G1 licence) or who holds a Class G1 or G2 or G driver’s licence. You must obtain your G1 licence prior to beginning your in-vehicle instruction.

A driver can be at fault anywhere between 10% to 100% per cent at fault. Any driver who is more than zero per cent at fault will have an at-fault accident on his or her insurance record. It is important to note that you risk losing the insurance discount certificate and face higher insurance premiums if you are involved in a motor vehicle collision while being training in a driving school vehicle or your own personal vehicle. Hence the importance of learning from qualified instructors and institutions of learning.

To confirm how your rates will be affected, check with your insurance agent, broker, or company representative.

Note: When you lend your vehicle to someone, you are assuming risk and liability for that individuals driving ability. If the individual you lent your vehicle has an accident and is found to be more than 10 per cent at-fault while using your vehicle, the accident will go on your insurance record, and your auto insurance premiums will increase.

Yes. The circumstances of an accident may show that more than one driver was partially at fault for insurance purposes.

If you are charged with an offence, you will not necessarily be found at fault for insurance purposes.

Similarly, if the police don’t file charges, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the insurance companies investigating the circumstances of the accident will not find one or more of the drivers involved at fault. For example, if a vehicle was unable to stop on an icy road and rear-ended another, a police officer may say that neither of the drivers was at-fault. Such a comment relates to the laying of charges and should not be taken as an opinion about how the Fault Determination Rules apply to an auto insurance claim. In a case like this, the insurer would apply the rule stating that a vehicle which rear-ends another is at-fault. On the other hand, with certain types of charges, the Fault Determination Rules will not apply, and fault will instead be determined according to the ordinary rules of negligence law.

Someone is always determined to be at-fault in an auto accident, whether partially or fully.

Insurance companies must determine the degree of fault to be assigned to each driver for purposes of determining which property damage coverages apply to the accident, and to ensure that the premiums of the driver who was more than 25 per cent at-fault are adjusted appropriately.

The Insurance Act and the Fault Determination Rules made under the Insurance Act determine fault for most motor vehicle collisions situations in Ontario. The Fault Determination Rules are regulations put in place to help insurance companies provide consumers with prompt claims handling and consistent treatment.

After you report an accident to your insurer, the company will investigate the circumstances of the accident and then make a fault decision based on the Fault Determination Rules.

These rules: cover more than 40 collision situations, using diagrams to illustrate specific occurrences, can be applied to almost every possible road collision scenario; and are applied regardless of road or weather conditions, visibility, point of impact on the vehicles, or the actions of pedestrians.

Fault is allocated to each driver based on which accident scenario most closely resembles the accident. If the accident is not described by any of the scenarios, then fault is allocated according to the ordinary rules of negligence law.

Visit the Service Ontario e-laws website to view or print a copy of the Fault Determination Rules.

Please check with your insurer to see what applicable discounts may apply.

Yes, the discount can be cancelled if you’ve been involved in an at-fault, or partially at-fault motor vehicle accident. You may also be ineligible to receive the discount if you’ve had convictions on your driving record. That is why it is so important that you as a student pay full attention in the duration of the course, and use due diligence in selecting the Best Driving School to complement your learning. If your sole criterion is price, then you may be wasting your money.

Adhere to the following in-vehicle instruction requirements:

• Maximum 2 hours/day in-vehicle instruction (excluding breaks and travel time)
• Maximum 1 hour/day following 5 hours of classroom driving instruction (excluding breaks and travel time)
• Demonstration by instructor shall comprise a maximum of 10% of total in-vehicle instruction hours

Repercussions

1. Lose your Insurance Discount

2. Doubling, Tripling of insurance premiums or becoming uninsurable due to increased rates.

3. Bodily Injury or Death to you or loved one

4. Psychological impact due to motor vehicle collision or loss of life

5. Economic Loss due to negligence

6. Lose the privilege of having a driving licence

7. Fines, penalties and demerit points

8. Criminal Charges, suspensions, fines and possible Imprisonment

9. Passengers will hesitate to sit in your car

As a Ministry (MTO) Approved- BDE Beginner Driver Education Course Provider we are passionate about what we teach and that dedication comes from over 30 years of Canadian Driving Experience by our highly trained and Professional instructors. We don’t compromise on quality and we certainly won’t compromise on your learning.

Have a question that’s not been answered? Please call us, were here to help.

Deans Defensive Driving School, Your MTO-Approved Beginner Driver Education Provider

Call: 416-716-1741 or E-mail: deansdriving@gmail.com

Drive Safe and don’t compromise on learning!

Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Curriculum Standards: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/curriculum/appendix.shtml

Ontario Road Safety Annual Report (ORSAR): http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/orsar/orsar08/collision.shtml

Service Ontario (Obtaining a Driving Licence History, Driving Record): http://www.serviceontario.ca/

Financial Services Commission Ontario (FSCO): http://www.fsco.gov.on.ca/en/auto/brochures/pages/brochure_claims.aspx#insurance

York Regional Police: http://www.yrp.ca/homepage.aspx

Durham Regional Police: http://www.drps.ca/internet_explorer/public_safety/safety_tips/index.asp?Action=3&Topic_ID=37&Category_ID=3&AbsPage=1

Natural Resources Canada: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/aut-vol/business/driversed-find.cfm