Driving is a necessity in order to reach the desired destination. You’ve decided to pursue your driving license, obtaining either a G-2 or G-class license to fully operate a vehicle. While you may have obtained your driver’s license, it could be that the company you have applied for has decided to ask for your driving history, it could be that the job description requires you to have a good driving record, or it may be that you are a new immigrant in this country and you need to provide a drivers abstract in order to declare for a new driving license. A driving record may be asked by any company for various reasons, it could be to see whether you are fully fit to operate your vehicle as a potential bus driver, using the company car to get to certain destinations, or it could be to see how good of a law-abiding citizen you really are, from drunk driving, tickets to alcohol/ drug use abuse. It is important for drivers to take their driving record as serious as they can, it can give insurance companies an abstract of how reliable you are as a driver under their record, it is logical to conclude that drivers who have a bad driving record, could be in major jeopardy to receive insurance in the near future, it is comparable to credit lines, consumers with bad credit lines are not reliable to make payments on time, thus making it harder to be approved. The purpose of this blog is to give readers an insight on how to check your Ontario drivers record below with various options being explored.
Types of driving record residents should know before purchasing
| Driving Record | Purpose |
| Three Year driving record | The purpose of this type of documentation is used for day- to day purposes. Drivers who wish to pursue a certified documentation will get it from the Ministry of Transportation |
| Drivers license history | Insurance companies will more than likely use this as a check to see if the driver is capable of obtaining a drivers license, its basically a credit check |
| Five year uncertified vs certified driving history | Uncertified – To confirm driver is not a fraud Certified – If driver wants to operate a vehicle outside the province, this driver needs to apply for a five year certified documentation |
| Driver confirmation letter | Drivers can use this as certified documentation if they are trying to drive out of Ontario. |
(The following table above was from Thinkinsure,2021)
Exploring Service Ontario for your driving record
Service Ontario is a hub for residents to apply for health cards, get their drivers license stickers renewed, birth certificates and identification brought back in case it has been lost. Drivers can use Service Ontario to check for their driving record, this can be done both online and through in person. If drivers wish to pursue the in-person route, they must decide which type of documentation they need. Uncertified records are used to meet daily tasks drivers may need as documentation, while certified drivers are sealed from the Ministry of Transportation for professional uses, this could be used as documentation requirements for Canadians who are travelling into another country, and they may need to declare experience. Drivers have the chance to order this type of documentation by mail, fax, going to Service Ontario and online (Ontario,2022).
In case drivers want to know what is on the three-year driving record vs what is on the official driver’s license history, below Is a table describing the difference between both driving records, from documentations and purpose
| Driving Record | Three Year Driving Record |
| Both a driving record and a three-year driving record have the same identification purposes 1. Official name Drivers license numberHeight/ SexHealth/ medical records License plate renewals from G2 – GOntario driving course education | The three-year driving record includes all recent driving offenses, suspensions 2. The driver’s demerit point totals; how many points have been accumulated due to recent offenses |
(Ontario,2022) (AllOntaro Team,2020)
The price to obtain a certified record is $18.00, while the uncertified price is $12.00, should drivers decide to pursue this from Service Ontario. With the online route, drivers should know they are required to have their drivers license number, pay with any credible bank online and should look to save the record by printing or saving it via PDF for record purposes. Should drivers want to have their driving record mailed to them, it could take up to 15 business days through Canada Post (Ontario,2022). Drivers using Service Ontario need to make sure all information is accurate, should any information not match such as name, date of birth or license number, Service Ontario has the right to deny any driver their record as it could fall under fraud.
The purpose of this blog was to allow readers to understand the purpose of obtaining your drivers record, its important for all drivers to keep up with their record, strive to be the best driver possible as it could cost you your insurance should you have a poor driving record. Students who are pursuing driving school should look to talk to local instructors / their driving school to see how they can maintain a good driving record for the near future.
