The Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Program Curriculum Standards - Prepared by: CSA - October 2007 - Edited by: MTO - September 2019

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley

The Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Program Curriculum Standards define Ontario’s minimum requirements for curriculum approval and delivery sequence for novice driver training. The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) outlines how the program supports road user safety through initiatives including the introduction of digital learning effective March 1, 2020. The standards describe governance for ministry-approved course providers, curriculum alignment, and expectations for lesson completion, competency measurement, and respectful, responsible driving attitudes that improve safety and mobility for all road users.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages110

Reading Time4 h 37 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Preface

Questions and Answers

Part A: Curriculum Design (CD) Standards

CD Standard 1 – Approach

CD Standard 2 – Structure

CD Standard 3 – Educational Settings and Instructional Hours

CD Standard 4 – Measuring Student Competency

CD Standard 5 – The Digital Learning Standard

Part B: Curriculum Content (CC) Standards

CC Standard 1 – Rules of the Road

CC Standard 2 – The Vehicle and Its Components

CC Standard 3 – Vehicle Handling

CC Standard 4 – Driver Behaviour

CC Standard 5 – Respect and Responsibility

CC Standard 6 – Sharing the Road

CC Standard 7 – Attention

CC Standard 8 – Perception and Risk Management

Appendix A – Required Topics: Examples

Glossary

| The Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Program
Curriculum Standards | | | --- | --- | | | MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
1 | | The Ministry of Transportation and the BDE Curriculum Standard
The ministry recognizes that the Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Program is a key component of road safety initiatives in Ontario.
The ministry has enhanced the program through a range of initiatives which include:
• Introduction of Digital Learning for the in-class portion of BDE, effective March 1st , 2020. The ministry developed the Digital Learning Standard based on:
o stakeholder demand for the option to deliver BDE digitally;
o extensive research and findings on digital learning as it applies to driver related training programs; and,
o feedback from stakeholders through consultations on the Digital Learning initiative.
• The BDE Curriculum Standards came into effect on September 1st, 2009 and were developed by the Canadian Standards Association in consultation with stakeholders.
Anticipated long term outcomes of the updated BDE Curriculum Standards include:
• Flexibility for driving schools and students.
• Enhanced road safety for all road users.
• Improved driving competency of novice drivers.
• Novice drivers with respectful and responsible attitudes toward driving that will contribute to the safety of all road users.
• Enhanced driver mobility and novice drivers who drive in a confident and safe manner.
Ministry approval of curricula
Course Providers shall submit their proposed curricula to the ministry for review and approval, prior to being allowed to register and operate as a ministry-approved BDE Course Provider. The ministry consults with curriculum developers on proposed curricula in order to help bring documents in alignment to the ministry’s Curriculum Standards.
The BDE Curriculum Standards include minimum requirements that BDE curriculum developers are required to meet or exceed before receiving approval of their curricula.
Lessons to be delivered and taken in sequence
All students shall start the course on day one of the BDE course and follow the sequence of the ministry approved course to the end. However, if a student is absent from a class because of sickness or extenuating circumstances, they will be permitted to make up any missed class. | | | --- | --- | | | MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
2 | | Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Program Curriculum Standards
PART A and PART B
Prepared by: CSA
October 2007
Edited by: MTO
September 2019 | | | --- | --- | | | MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
3 | | TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2
PREFACE 5
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 7
PART A: CURRICULUM DESIGN (CD) STANDARDS 8
CD STANDARD 1 – APPROACH 9
CD STANDARD 2 – STRUCTURE 10
CD STANDARD 3 – EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS AND INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS 11
CD STANDARD 4 – MEASURING STUDENT COMPETENCY 13
CD STANDARD 5 – THE DIGITAL LEARNING STANDARD 14
PART B: CURRICULUM CONTENT (CC) STANDARDS 74
CC STANDARD 1 – RULES OF THE ROAD 75
CC STANDARD 2 – THE VEHICLE AND ITS COMPONENTS 77
CC STANDARD 3 – VEHICLE HANDLING 78
CC STANDARD 4 – DRIVER BEHAVIOUR 81
CC STANDARD 5 – RESPECT AND RESPONSIBILITY 84
CC STANDARD 6 – SHARING THE ROAD 88
CC STANDARD 7 – ATTENTION 89
CC STANDARD 8 – PERCEPTION AND RISK MANAGEMENT 91
APPENDIX A –REQUIRED TOPICS: EXAMPLES 96
GLOSSARY 105 | | | --- | --- | | | MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
4 | | Curricula Requirements PREFACE
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) is continuously improving the effectiveness and efficiency of its road user safety measures. The Beginner Driver Education (BDE) Curriculum Standards are a critical component of the ministry’s road user safety agenda. The BDE Curriculum Standards are the result of efforts of the Canadian Standards Association, road user safety stakeholders and research, and subject matter experts.
The BDE Curriculum Standards replaced the “Ro

FAQs

What is the purpose of the BDE Curriculum Standards in Ontario?

They serve as the benchmark for approving BDE curricula in Ontario and ensure programs continue to meet high standards for safe, responsible driving and positive driver attitudes and behaviours.

How does the curriculum approval process work for BDE course providers?

Course providers must submit proposed curricula to the ministry for review and approval before they are allowed to register and operate. The ministry consults curriculum developers to help align documents to the curriculum standards.

What changes were introduced to support digital learning for BDE?

Digital learning was introduced as an additional, optional delivery method effective March 1, 2020, supported by updates to Ontario Regulation 473/07, the BDE Policy Manual, and the BDE Curriculum Standards.

Sep 18, 2026

Uploaded by Stanley