Alberta drivers with clean record now automatically get upgraded licence
Global News
As of Sunday, drivers with clean records will get a letter informing them that they've been automatically upgraded to a non-GDL licence, the province said.
Changes to Alberta’s driver’s licence program that were announced in September are now in effect.
Starting Sunday, drivers no longer have to take a drivers test and pay a $154 fee to exit the graduated driver’s licence (GDL) program if they have a clean driving record.
GDL drivers who have had their licence for at least 24 months and have had no demerits within the last 12 months – including zero tolerance for any alcohol or drug consumption – will receive a letter if they have been upgraded to a non-GDL driver, the government said in a news release.
If you are automatically upgraded, you don’t have to get a new licence card, and can get a new one the next time you renew your driver’s licence, the province said.
If a driver gets pulled over, police in Alberta will have information about the driver’s licence in the Canadian Police Information Centre and will be able to know if it is GDL or non-GDL.
However, the province said if you’re driving outside of Alberta, you are required to keep the letter with you or update your physical licence, as law enforcement outside of Alberta may not have access to Alberta’s data.
The province said about 500,000 drivers are eligible for the automatic upgrade as of April 1.
In the past five years, 65 per cent of GDL drivers didn’t bother taking the advanced road test and upgrading their licence, the province said when the changes were announced in September.
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