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More than 45 Years of Driver Education Excellence
Offering Beginner Driver Education, road test preparation and custom lessons across the Ottawa Valley & surrounding parts of Eastern Ontario since 1976
Learn a More Advanced Way to Drive Through One of Our Services
Beginner Driver Education
MTO-approved course provider offering eLearning and in-car instruction
Road Test Preparation
Focused practice sessions with instructors who understand the G2/G testing process
Custom Lessons
Develop or improve any driving skill with flexible lesson packages
Offering Expertise in Perceptual Awareness & Collision Avoidance
Omni-Lateral offers comprehensive driver education tailored to your needs, including convenient self-paced eLearning and expert in-vehicle instruction. Whether you're a teenager eager to get your licence, or an adult seeking to enhance your driving skills, our dedicated team is here to guide you every step of the way. We've been serving the Ottawa Valley and surrounding parts of Eastern Ontario for over 45 years.
We Cover the Following Areas
Arnprior – Almonte – Barry’s Bay – Brockville – Carleton Place – Deep River – Douglas – Dunrobin – Elgin – Gananoque – Kemptville – Kingston – Pembroke – Perth – Renfrew – Sharbot Lake – Smiths Falls
We Serve These Communities and Their Surrounding Areas
We Cover the Following Areas
Arnprior – Almonte – Barry’s Bay – Brockville – Carleton Place – Deep River – Douglas – Dunrobin – Elgin – Gananoque – Kemptville – Kingston – Pembroke – Perth – Renfrew – Sharbot Lake – Smiths Falls
We Serve These Communities and Their Surrounding Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
BDE: Before Signing Up
Yes. You can check whether a driving school is an MTO-approved BDE course provider here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/government-approved-driving-schools
Successful completion allows students to take their G2 road test 8 months (rather than 1 year) after they receive their G1. Participating auto insurance companies provide a discount (varying) for new drivers who complete an MTO-approved Beginner Driver Education (BDE) course.
Just ask us! Call or text Keith at (613) 297-5302 or submit your question on our “contact us” page.
No, students can be registered and begin the eLearning theory component when they are no more than 60 days before their 16th birthday. They need to be 16 to get their G1 licence, which they need for in-vehicle lessons.
No, students can be registered and begin the eLearning theory component before they get their G1. However, they won’t be able to start in-vehicle lessons until they have their G1.
No, the BDE course material is more advanced. To prepare for the knowledge test for the G1, students will need to get a copy of The Official Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Driver’s Handbook which can be purchased at a DriveTest Centre and some retail stores; it can also be accessed as an on-line version on the MTO website (https://www.ontario.ca/document/official-mto-drivers-handbook). There are a number of Ontario-specific G1 apps available that help students prepare, and provide practice tests and even simulated mock tests.
At a DriveTest Centre. Check out the steps in the process, as well as what students need to bring, and what they’ll need to do, when they go: https://drivetest.ca/licences/drivers-licences-cars/
No because the G1 driver will be using the insured driving school vehicle for their lessons and the student is accompanied by a driving instructor covered under that policy. Parents/guardians should check with their insurance provider about coverage requirements for G1 drivers.
No. Driving lessons will be in the instructor’s driving school vehicle. Ideally students will get practice between lessons with a driving mentor (a G-licenced driver with at least 4 years driving experience), using their vehicle.
A computer or laptop with up-to-date software, and a stable internet connection. Tech support advises that a Google Chrome browser should be used for best results.
The MTO requires students to complete their BDE course (the theory, homework and driving lessons) within one year of logging on to begin the eLearning component. The MTO makes no exceptions and will not allow students to be certified if they are even one day past their deadline.
BDE Registration and Getting Started:
Once a student has been signed up, the first payment has been made, and the required information provided, they will be registered and should receive a welcome email within 24 hours (which includes a link to begin the eLearning component). If the email hasn’t arrived, please let us know and we will troubleshoot with you.
Please contact Digital Driver Technical Support at (437) 317-5595 (Mon-Fri 9am-7pm; weekends and holidays, 9am 5pm). If you get voicemail, leave a message; if the voicemail is full, call back every hour or so until you get a person. The staff members are very helpful. Students also have the option of using the chat function within the eLearning program or the “Need help?” link under the login area.
The timed sections, forced breaks and daily time limit are all MTO requirements to which BDE course providers and students must adhere.
Please document the problem that occurred and contact Digital Driver Tech Support (details 2 FAQs back) right away, explain the situation to them, and request that the quiz or test be reset to allow a re-take.
Students need a final grade of at least 70% to pass. Please contact Keith at (613) 297-5302 if a student’s final grade is less than 70%.
Usually this happens when the required feedback survey hasn’t been completed, which is worth 1%. Please complete the feedback survey and if the problem persists, contact Digital Driver Tech Support.
No, students are welcome to begin driving lessons once they are 75% complete with the eLearning component and have paid the full course fee. At this point, please contact Keith at (613) 297-5302 to arrange the driving lessons.
BDE: IN-VEHICLE
Once students are 75% complete their eLearning and the final payment has been made, in-vehicle lessons may be scheduled. The driving instructor will work with the student/parent to find times that are convenient, keeping in mind the importance of varying times of day to experience different traffic patterns and light conditions. The final driving lesson may not be scheduled until the student is 100% complete with the eLearning component.
Students will be picked up and dropped off at the high school under which we register them.
Driving lessons will be given in the instructor’s company vehicle, which comes equipped with a dual brake.
We teach our BDE students on automatic vehicles. Teaching the basic BDE course in a vehicle with a manual transmission involves too much time spent focusing on gears, clutch and friction point rather than on important life-saving skills. Any of our graduates are welcome to purchase an additional 2-hour lesson on standard shift; we recommend that a parent or spouse observe the lesson so they can help the student practice what was taught.
Most of our driving instructors use Toyota Corollas or similar compact sedans.
Yes, the law requires any G1 driver to have their official G1 licence with them during their driving lessons and any time they are practicing between lessons. A photo on a cell phone, a photocopy, or any other likeness cannot be substituted.
Students are required to show their driving instructor their G1 licence to begin each of their lessons. In addition, the administrative office needs a photo of the front of the G1 for the student’s file in order to be able to electronically certify the student with the MTO once the student successfully completes their BDE course. The G1 photo can be sent to our email address or by text to Keith.
Students who need to miss or reschedule a driving lesson should notify their driving instructor at least 24 hours prior to the lesson. If this isn’t possible, the cancellation fee is $50, to be paid to the instructor on or before the next lesson.
Yes, if the student feels comfortable with a parent/spouse observing, this may be helpful for the student’s practice sessions between lessons as the parent/spouse can help reinforce what/how the student was taught.
G1 drivers can gain experience on these roadways only when accompanied by a driving instructor licenced in the province of Ontario.
The MTO requires a minimum of 10 hours of in-vehicle instruction. In order to be successful, students are strongly encouraged to practice between lessons with their driving mentor(s), i.e., a G-licensed driver with at least four years of driving experience. Students/parents who think more lessons would be of benefit can purchase road test prep and/or custom lessons.
Yes, this is one of our areas of expertise.
Yes, and we will try to accommodate such requests based on the instructor’s geographical location and availability.
BDE: Finishing Up
The MTO no longer issues paper certificates for successful BDE completion; instead, when students successfully complete their BDE course, they are electronically certified with the MTO.
Once students have: completed/passed their eLearning component and their in-vehicle lessons; paid in full; and provided a photo of their G1, we can certify them electronically with the MTO. This process is usually complete within 7 business days. Students will be notified via text once they are certified. Until students are certified, they will not be able to book their G2 road test within the 8-12 month window (after the issue of their G1) that successfully completing a BDE course allows.
Because individual insurance company policies and practices change, students/parents should contact their insurance provider to find out whether a discount is given and what the discounted rate would be.
A DLH is a government-issued document with information about a driver and their driver’s licence, including Ontario BDE course completion. The DLH is the only government-issued document that shows BDE course completion; therefore it is the only document accepted by insurance companies that participate in auto insurance discounts for successful BDE course completion.
While it appears that a DLH can be ordered online, our experience is that students invariably receive the wrong document (a 3-year driver record/driver’s abstract). To avoid this frustration and wasted fee, we advise students to go in person to a Service Ontario office —another person is not permitted to do this on behalf of the student (even with a letter of permission). When students go to Service Ontario to obtain their DLH, they will need to take their G1 and the $12 fee. Please note that a DLH is not required to book the G2 road test.
BDE: ROAD TESTS
Students may use their own vehicle or their family’s vehicle for the road test. If a student is a graduate of our BDE course, they are welcome to purchase a warm-up lesson and the use of one of our company vehicles for the road test. Please see our road test prep packages for details.
We don’t book the G2 road tests but will help troubleshoot if there are any questions. The easiest way to book the road test is to go to https://drivetest.ca/ --this is the only legitimate online booking website. G1 licence holders have already prepaid for the first road test to acquire their G2 licence so beware of bogus pop-ups or websites that would charge a fee to book the G2 road test.
A scheduled road test may be cancelled or rescheduled at https://drivetest.ca/ at least 48 hours before the test. If less than 48 hours notice is provided, the road test fee will be lost.
General
Payment
We accept e-transfers. We also accept Visa, Mastercard and Debit (there is a 3% surcharge for these payment methods). For our BDE course, we offer a split-payment option so the course fee can be paid in two equal instalments (one up-front at initial registration and the remainder when the student is ready to begin in-vehicle lessons).
The student/parent should notify us and ask the third-party agency to contact us so that we can send an invoice.
For the BDE course, a fee of $50 will be charged for any refunds. Refunds will be considered within 30 days of online registration and when less than 25% of the eLearning has been completed.
Yes, please contact us.
Questions and Concerns
Please call/text Keith at (613) 297-5302 or email Barb at [email protected]
Please call/text Keith at (613) 297-5302.