Insurance Reduction Certificate in Alberta: Which One Do You Need?

An insurance reduction certificate is the paper a driving school gives you when you finish an approved course. The name comes from what people use it for. Parents ask us about it before a teen starts lessons. Adult drivers ask about it after a ticket. Those two groups need two different courses, and each course ends with a different document. This post explains both and tells you what to do if you lose your certificate.

Which insurance reduction certificate do you need?

Start with your situation, not the course name.

• You hold a Class 7 licence and are learning to drive. You want the driver training certificate. It comes with the Full Course.
• You already hold a licence and have demerit points. You want the Defensive Driving Course, whose proof is the completion form you take to a registry agent.
• Your insurer or employer named a course. Book the one they named. If they did not name one, ask them for the exact course name before you book.

The driver training certificate

When people search for a driving course to reduce insurance, the Full Course is usually what they mean. It has 15 hours of theory and 10 hours in the car. The Extended and Value For Money versions come with more hours in the car. Each version is also offered with the theory online. Prices start at $545 plus GST in Zone A.

If your insurer asks a new driver for a driving school certificate for insurance, this is the one.

The passing marks

You need a grade of 7.5 on your road training and 80% on the class test. Rewriting the class test costs $25 plus GST. Bring your Class 7 licence to every lesson.

The Defensive Driving Course and its completion form

The Defensive Driving Course is taught in class, with no driving. It costs $150 plus GST in class or $200 plus GST on demand. Its main job is demerit reduction. Its proof is the Notice of Driver Education Course Completion form, which alberta.ca says to submit to a registry agent. If your insurer asked you to complete an approved defensive driving course, this is the one.

What alberta.ca says about demerits

We read the Government of Alberta pages on demerit points and suspensions. Here is what they say.

• Demerit points go on your driving record when you are convicted of a driving offence. They stay there for 2 years from the conviction date.
• Fully licensed drivers are suspended at 15 or more points within a 2-year period. Graduated Driver's Licence (GDL) drivers are suspended at 8 or more. Both get a cautionary notice by mail first.
• An approved defensive driving course can remove a maximum of 3 demerit points from your record, once every 2 years.
• You must schedule the course through a licensed driver training school.
• To count against a suspension, the course must be completed before the conviction date of the offence that caused it. So book early, not after the letter arrives.
• After the course, submit the Notice of Driver Education Course Completion form to any Alberta registry agent. That step puts the reduction on your record. The form is valid for 2 years.

Neither page says a word about insurance.

How to get a driving school certificate

Parents often ask how to get a driving school certificate. The steps below cover the certificate and the form.

1. Pick the course that matches your situation above.
2. Book it on our booking page in five steps and pay by PayPal or at the office.
3. Attend every hour. The Defensive Driving Course is in class only. Full Course learners also need the passing marks listed above.
4. Full Course learners, collect your certificate and take a photo of it the same day. Send your insurer a copy, not the original.
5. Defensive Driving learners, submit the completion form to any Alberta registry agent.

Lost your certificate? A duplicate costs $50 plus GST

Insurers and employers sometimes ask for the certificate long after the course. If you lose your insurance reduction certificate, we issue a duplicate for $50 plus GST. Call (780) 965-1151 or (780) 469-1152, or email info@citydrivingschoolltd.ca, and ask for a Duplicate Certificate. Keep the new copy with your licence papers.

The discount is a question for your insurer

We teach driving. We do not set insurance prices. People ask us how much an insurance reduction certificate will save them. We do not know. The Government of Alberta pages we read say nothing about discounts. Each insurer decides which document it accepts and what discount, if any, applies.

One phone call to your insurer before you book saves guesswork. Ask these five questions.

• Do you give a discount for a driver training certificate or an approved defensive driving course?
• Which document do you accept, the certificate or the completion form?
• How much is the discount, and how long does it last?
• How do I send you the document?
• Does the discount apply to a new driver joining a parent's policy?

We can say what our certificate shows. Only your insurer can say what it is worth.

What City Driving School offers

Two of our courses fit this post.

• Full Course: 15 hours of theory and 10 hours in the car, from $545 plus GST in Zone A. Zone A covers Edmonton South and Beaumont. This earns the driver training certificate.
• Defensive Driving Course: $150 plus GST in class, or $200 plus GST on demand. Its proof is the completion form you take to a registry agent.
• Duplicate Certificate: $50 plus GST.

City Driving School is an Alberta Transportation approved school and has taught in Edmonton since 2009. More than 6,000 students have passed with us. Our instructors, men and women, are certified by Alberta Transportation. Free pickup and drop-off comes with every in-car lesson inside our service areas.