G1 Study Module, Rules of the Road
Ontario G1 knowledge test, rules section: 20 questions, 16/20 to pass. This is study scaffold derived from general public knowledge of Ontario driving rules. It is preview content pending review by a human subject-matter expert, verify against the current Official MTO Driver's Handbook before relying on it.
Ontario uses a graduated licensing system: G1, then G2, then a full G licence. The whole process takes at least 20 months. The system exists because most new-driver collisions happen in the first months of solo driving. Each stage removes a restriction only after you have built experience in lower-risk situations. To start, you must be at least 16 years old and pass a vision test and a knowledge test on signs and rules of the road.
The five G1 restrictions:
- Zero blood alcohol: a G1 driver must have a blood alcohol concentration of zero at all times while driving. The same zero-tolerance applies to drugs.
- Accompanying driver: a fully licensed driver holding a Class G (or higher) licence with at least four years of driving experience must sit beside you in the front passenger seat. That driver's own blood-alcohol level must be below .05% (and zero if they are 21 or under).
- No high-speed expressways: G1 drivers may not drive on 400-series highways with a speed limit over 80 km/h, nor on certain named expressways (such as the QEW, Don Valley Parkway, Gardiner Expressway, E.C. Row Expressway, and Conestoga Parkway), unless the accompanying driver is a licensed driving instructor.
- No late-night driving: G1 drivers may not drive between midnight and 5 a.m.
- Seatbelts for everyone: every person in the vehicle must have a working seatbelt, so you may carry only as many passengers as there are seatbelts.
A G1 licence lasts 12 months before you may take the road test for G2. This can be shortened to 8 months if you complete a ministry-approved beginner driver education (BDE) course. You have five years in total to complete the graduated licensing process before the G1 expires.
After passing the G1 road test you hold G2 for at least 12 months. A G2 driver still keeps a zero blood-alcohol level, and faces night-time passenger limits for drivers aged 19 and under: in the first six months, only one passenger aged 19 or under between midnight and 5 a.m.; after six months, up to three, with exemptions when a fully licensed driver is in the front seat or the passengers are immediate family.
Common mistake: thinking the accompanying driver only needs a full licence. They also need four years of driving experience and a blood-alcohol level below the legal limit themselves.
🧠 Memory hook, "ZANES": Zero alcohol, Accompanying driver No 400-series highways, Early hours banned (midnight–5 a.m.), Seatbelts for all.
Recall: List all five G1 restrictions. What two things must your accompanying driver have besides a licence?