NS Class 7 Test cheat sheet

Sign shape carries the message: octagon = stop, inverted triangle = yield, diamond = warning, vertical rectangle = regulatory, crossbuck = railway crossing.

Colour code: red = stop or prohibition, yellow = warning, orange = construction, green = destinations and distances, blue = services, brown = points of interest.

A stop sign requires a complete halt at the stop line, or if there is none, before the crosswalk or the edge of the intersecting roadway; a rolling stop is a chargeable offence.

A yield sign requires slowing and giving way to intersecting traffic and pedestrians; a full stop is required only when traffic is present.

An advisory speed tab mounted under a yellow warning sign is a recommended speed for the hazard, not a posted legal limit.

Fluorescent yellow-green signs mark school zones, pedestrian crossings and cycling routes; expect children, crossing guards and stopped school buses.

A red circle with a diagonal slash means the action shown is prohibited; a green circle means it is permitted.

At a railway crossbuck, yield to trains; flashing red lights, bells or lowered gates require a full stop until the signals stop.

A flagperson's STOP/SLOW paddle carries the same legal force as a traffic signal.

Steady red: complete stop; a right turn on red is permitted after stopping unless a sign prohibits it, yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic.

Steady amber: stop unless the vehicle is too close to stop safely; the amber phase warns that red is coming and is not a signal to accelerate.

Flashing red has the same meaning as a stop sign; flashing amber means slow down and proceed with caution.

A green arrow is a protected movement - conflicting traffic is stopped - but pedestrians in the crosswalk still have the right-of-way.

A green light does not authorise entering an intersection you cannot clear; stopping inside the intersection blocks cross traffic.

Solid yellow line on your side = no passing; broken yellow = passing permitted when safe; double solid yellow = no passing for either direction.

A two-way left-turn lane has solid yellow outer lines and a broken yellow inner line; it is for left turns only, not for travel or passing.

Broken white lines separate lanes travelling in the same direction and may be crossed; a solid white line marks the right edge of the roadway.

The stop line is the thick white bar before a crosswalk; crosswalks are marked by parallel white bars.

Nova Scotia default limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them unless a sign posts a different limit.

Passing is prohibited where sight lines are short (hills, curves), at intersections and railway crossings, and past a school bus with flashing red lights.

Move-over law: slow to 60 km/h or the posted limit, whichever is lower, and change lanes away from a stopped emergency vehicle, tow truck or plow with lights flashing.

Every occupant must be belted; the driver is responsible for passengers under 16, and children under 9 require an appropriate child restraint.

Hand-held phones and other hand-held electronic devices may not be used while driving in Nova Scotia.

School bus with flashing red lights: traffic in both directions stops on an undivided road; on a divided road only traffic approaching from behind the bus must stop.

Headlights are required from sunset to sunrise and whenever visibility is reduced by rain, fog or snow.

An emergency vehicle approaching with lights and siren requires other drivers to pull to the right and stop until it has passed.

Leaving the scene of a collision that caused injury or death is a criminal offence, and collisions must be reported as required by law.

Uncontrolled intersection: yield to vehicles already in the intersection; when two vehicles arrive together, the one on the right goes first.

Four-way stop: the first vehicle to stop is the first to go; simultaneous arrivals are settled by the right-hand rule.

A left turn must yield to oncoming through traffic, to vehicles turning right, and to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

At an unsigned T-intersection, traffic on the road that ends must yield to traffic on the through road.

Roundabout: yield on entry to circulating traffic, enter to the right, travel counter-clockwise, and signal right before your exit.

Entering a road from a driveway, parking lot or private road: yield to all traffic and to pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right-of-way over both turning and through vehicles.

Do not enter an intersection unless you can clear it before the light changes or traffic ahead moves.

The minimum following gap is two seconds; four or more seconds are needed in rain, snow, gravel or darkness.

Mirrors leave a blind spot alongside the rear quarter, so a shoulder check is required before any lane change.

At 50 km/h a vehicle covers about 14 metres per second, so a two-second gap is roughly 28 metres.

Driving faster than the distance lit by the headlights removes the ability to stop within the visible roadway.

On wet roads, hydroplaning begins at highway speeds; recovery is to ease off the accelerator and hold the steering steady.

In a skid, steering where you want the front of the vehicle to go is more effective than hard braking.

ABS requires firm continuous pedal pressure; pedal pulsation is normal and steering control is retained.

Fatigue slows reaction time and judgement in the same way as alcohol, and only rest or sleep restores alertness.

Scanning 12 to 15 seconds ahead gives time to identify hazards before they become emergencies.

Nova Scotia requires at least one metre of clearance when passing a cyclist; if that space is not available, the pass must wait.

Cyclists are vehicles with the same rights and duties; a shoulder check and yield are required before turning right across a bike lane.

Opening a car door into the path of a cyclist (dooring) is a collision risk that mirrors and a shoulder check prevent.

Motorcycles have a narrow profile, making speed and distance hard to judge; a longer following gap and a second look are needed.

Heavy trucks have no-zones at the front, rear and both sides; if the driver's mirrors are not visible, you are not visible to the driver.

A truck turning right may swing left first; passing on the right of a turning truck puts a car in the crush zone.

Loaded trucks and buses need far longer stopping distances than cars, so cutting in front removes their safety margin.

Never pass a snowplow on the right; the blade and blowing snow hide the road edge and oncoming hazards.

Class 7L and Class 7 drivers must have a blood alcohol concentration of zero; any alcohol is a violation.

A BAC of 0.05 to 0.08 brings an immediate provincial licence suspension; 0.08 and above is a Criminal Code offence with vehicle impoundment.

Impairment begins below the legal limit: judgement, lane tracking and reaction time degrade before a driver feels affected.

Cannabis, prescription medication and some over-the-counter drugs are covered by impaired-driving law.

Hand-held device use while driving is prohibited in Nova Scotia.

At 50 km/h, a four-second glance at a phone means about 55 metres travelled with no attention on the road.

Stunting and street racing can bring a roadside licence suspension and vehicle impoundment.

Aggressive behaviours such as tailgating, weaving, speeding and running lights carry charges, demerit points and suspension risk.

Cold tire pressures are the correct reference; underinflation raises heat, wear and stopping distance.

A head restraint with its top at ear level and close to the head reduces whiplash injury.

Hands at 9 and 3 or 8 and 4 keep steering control and stay clear of a deploying airbag.

Blowout: grip the wheel, ease off the accelerator, avoid hard braking and steer gradually to the shoulder.

Brake fade or failure: pump the pedal, downshift and apply the parking brake gradually.

In fog, low beams are used because high beams reflect off water droplets and reduce visibility.

On ice and snow, steering, braking and acceleration must all be gentle, and the following gap must be increased.

At night, speed must be adjusted so the vehicle can stop within the distance the headlights illuminate.

Windows, lights and the roof must be cleared of snow before driving; blowing snow reduces visibility for the driver and for others.

Class 7L (learner): minimum age 16, pass a knowledge test and a vision test, and drive only with a qualified supervising driver in the front passenger seat.

The supervising driver must hold a valid Class 5 or higher licence and have at least three years of driving experience.

The learner stage lasts at least 12 months, reduced to 9 months on completion of an approved driver-education course.

The novice stage (Class 7) lasts at least 24 months and ends with a full Class 5 licence.

Zero blood alcohol concentration applies at every stage of the graduated licensing programme.

Stage 2 (Class 7) drivers are restricted from driving between midnight and 5 a.m.

Demerit points remain on the driving record for two years from the date of the offence.

Accumulating six or more demerit points within two years results in a licence suspension.

Tests are taken in sequence: the written knowledge test for the learner licence, then the road test for the next class.