Course Overview
This BC Safe Driving course is a comprehensive defensive driving program designed to teach responsible driving practices and to help drivers of all experience levels become better drivers. This course covers the rules of the road and the obligations of drivers.
The material for this course was developed in consultation with police officers, driving instructors, traffic engineers, psychologists, professional drivers, and driving lawyers. The material is specifically designed to dismantle the attitudes poor drivers use to justify their driving behaviour.
Exam questions are interspersed throughout the course to ensure that attention is given to the course material. The exam has a minimum of 50 questions which are different for each student. The passing grade is 70%. Participants are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved on the first attempt. This course is conducted entirely online. It takes approximately 3.5 hours to complete. Stringent procedures are maintained to ensure compliance with the course rules.
Participants who achieve a passing grade receive a Certificate of Completion.
Course Topics
- Components of your vehicle
- Attitude
- Hazards
- Activities of attentive driving
- Observation
- Signalling
- Basic traffic rules
- Traveling near other vehicles
- Traffic lights
- Traffic safety laws
- Distracted driving
- Driving conditions
- Steering
- Parking
- Emergencies
- Skidding
- Brake malfunction
- Accelerator malfunction
- Sudden tire deflation
- Headlight burn out
- Vehicle fires
- Dropping off pavement
- Collisions
The course has three main purposes:
- To assist in the rehabilitation and re-education of drivers who have demonstrated unsafe driving habits. Drivers who regularly commit motor vehicle infractions pose a significant risk to public safety. The course material is designed to change these damaging attitudes by identifying them and demonstrating the faulty thinking that is typically used to justify bad driving behaviour. Attitudes of defensive drivers are explained to provide the participant with a deeper understanding of the need to change their driving behaviour.
- To assist novice drivers or those lacking confidence to better understand the rules of the road, their vehicle and their role as a driver. Course material examples cover typical driving situations as well as extreme and emergency scenarios.
- To ensure employees are aware of their obligations as drivers. As an employer it is of utmost importance that employees who drive for the purpose of business and in company vehicles have a full understanding of the rules of the road, the need to drive in a safe, law-abiding manner, and the importance of courteous driving.
