- Child safety seats must carry a label showing compliance with CMVSS 213 (Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213)
- Keep a child rear-facing until the seat manufacturer’s height or weight limit is reached; then use an appropriate forward-facing seat with a harness and tether. Follow both seat and vehicle instructions.
- A child under 6 and no more than 18 kg (40 lb) must by law use a child safety seat; above 18 kg, Alberta law doesn't actually require a booster seat — but one is strongly recommended until a seatbelt fits properly on its own without one (roughly 145 cm or age 9)
- Collision reporting: report to police if combined vehicle damage reaches $5,000 or more (the 2023 guide said $2,000 — this has since been raised); regardless of the dollar amount, you must also report if anyone is injured, if any vehicle can't be driven away from the scene, if a driver can't produce a licence/registration/insurance, or if you damage a traffic control device, parking meter, or other public property
- A trailer 910 kg (2,000 lb) or less, or less than half the towing vehicle's unloaded weight, doesn't need brakes; a load overhanging the rear by 1.5 m or more needs a red flag by day or a red light at night Brakes are still required if needed for safe control.
- New to Alberta: your old licence is valid for 90 days, after which you must get an Alberta licence and surrender the old one; a vehicle must be registered within 3 months of moving; short-term visitors may drive on a home licence for up to 1 year
- A licence may carry condition codes — for example H means daytime driving only, J means outside mirrors required, K means automatic transmission only
- Driving while suspended, if caught, means the vehicle is impounded for 30 days; if you hit an unattended vehicle, you must leave your name, address, licence number, plate number and phone number on it
Knowledge points and examples
Driver-carried documents, insurance or registration duties, and occupant restraint responsibility
The driver must ensure all passengers under what age are properly restrained?
Alberta law requires the driver to ensure all passengers under 16 are properly restrained.
In Alberta, seat belts must be worn:
Alberta law requires seat belts be worn properly at all times.
Trailer operation, equipment, loading, handling, and towing responsibilities
How should towing a trailer affect your following distance?
When towing, maintain a safe following distance and allow extra time and distance because of the trailer's added weight and length. The guide does not set a universal four-second minimum.
When towing a trailer, your total stopping distance:
Extra weight from a trailer greatly increases stopping distance — allow more following distance.
Collision reporting, assistance, information exchange, insurance notice, and scene duties
In 2026, a collision must be reported to police when the combined property damage appears to exceed:
Alberta confirmed that the property-damage reporting threshold remains $5,000 for 2026. Collisions involving injury, death, or specified public property must also be reported regardless of this threshold.
If involved in a collision, what must you do by law?
You must stop, assist injured persons, exchange information, and report to police if required.
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