Alberta Class 7 Traffic Stops: What Happens When the Supervisor Is Pulled Over

If your supervising driver gets pulled over in Alberta, your learner's permit is only valid if they remain a legal supervisor.

• Police may check both the learner’s licence and the supervisor’s licence/status.
• The learner is responsible for the learner’s own driving offences; the supervisor is responsible for the supervisor’s own offences or licence status.
• If the supervisor is no longer legally qualified to supervise, the learner must stop driving until a qualified supervisor is present.

What must an Alberta Class 7 learner do during a police traffic stop?

During a traffic stop, both the learner and supervisor have specific legal duties. The officer will verify the validity of both parties and the supervision arrangement.

• What the Police Officer Checks ? Your Class 7 learner's permit for validity and conditions.
• ? The supervisor's driver's licence (must be a valid, full Class 5 or higher or higher).
• The supervisor's sobriety and alertness.
• ? That the supervisor is seated in the front passenger seat.

Supervisor Gets a Speeding Ticket

If the learner is speeding, the speeding ticket is issued to the learner as the driver.

• General ticket, demerit-point, and suspension rules are covered in the Traffic Violations on Permit guide.

During a routine stop, the officer discovers an outstanding warrant for your supervisor and arrests them.

Full Alberta permit rules are at the Alberta learner's permit guide.

See the Alberta learner's permit guide for complete requirements.

Visit the Alberta learner's permit guide for step-by-step rules.

• Can You Drive Home? No. Your supervisor is immediately incapacitated and cannot legally supervise. You must stop driving.
• ? What To Do: Pull over safely. Call a licensed, sober driver with a Class 5 (non-GDL) licence to pick up you and the vehicle. Do not drive the car yourself.

Supervisor's Licence is Suspended

You are driving in Lethbridge with an uncle supervising.

An officer runs both licences and finds your uncle's licence was suspended two weeks prior for an unpaid fine.

• Immediate result: the supervisor no longer qualifies to supervise the Class 7 learner.
• The learner does not become a suspended driver because the supervisor is suspended.
• The learner must stop driving until a qualified supervisor is present. A suspended-supervisor situation does not automatically trigger the 30-day Suspended Driver Vehicle Seizure Program against the learner.

One Lethbridge applicant let their provincial ID expire during a family trip. They had not noticed the expiry before booking the registry appointment. The clerk flagged it. They renewed the ID and returned the following week.

What if the Class 7 supervisor forgot their own driver's licence?

A Class 7 supervisor must be legally qualified to supervise and must have a subsisting licence. If the supervisor cannot produce their licence during a stop, police will deal with that issue based on the circumstances. The learner should not assume the stop proves the supervisor is suspended.

If the Supervisor Becomes Impaired During the Drive

Do not continue the practice drive with that person acting as supervisor. A Class 7 learner needs a qualified supervisor throughout the drive, so arrange another sober, qualified driver before continuing.

Can another qualified passenger take over as the Class 7 supervisor?

Yes, if that person is over 18, holds a full Class 5 licence or higher, and sits in the front passenger seat while the learner drives.

Does the learner get demerit points when the supervisor gets a ticket? No. A ticket issued to the supervisor goes on the supervisor's record. The learner can still face a separate ticket if the learner personally breaks a rule.

What if police discover the supervisor's licence expired during the traffic stop?

An expired licence is not a valid full Class 5-or-higher licence for supervision. The learner should stop driving until a qualified supervisor is available.

When a Supervisor Has No Valid Licence During a Stop

• Check that the supervisor is over 18 and holds a valid full Class 5 licence or higher before the learner drives.
• If the supervisor becomes ineligible during a stop, pull over safely and arrange for a qualified supervisor before the learner drives again.
• Keep the supervisor in the front passenger seat while the Class 7 learner is driving.