Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE) and how to get a certificate

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has announced that all drivers seeking to renew their license are now required to take 68 Comprehensive Driver’s Education (CDE) and obtain a certification before the renewal application can be processed. The CDE is not just for new drivers, but it is also now a prerequisite for renewing licenses, too. So now, let’s learn more about CDE, check out what is it for, and how you can obtain a certificate.

Comprehensive Driver’s Education and its importance

The CDE is considered as a refresher course for drivers (Non-Professional or Professional) who are renewing their privilege to drive. It deals with road safety, traffic laws, driver’s responsibilities, traffic rules and regulations, along with the corresponding penalties, and the like.

It is essential to comply with this measure as it is part of the law. The CDE is in line with a provision in Republic Act No. 10930 10, which allows the LTO to extend the validity of a license to 10 years for motorists with no record of traffic violation prior to its renewal. With this, drivers may now apply for a 10-year license if they do not have a traffic violation record. Otherwise, those with current records can only apply for a 5-year renewal.

It will be first implemented in the Central Office-Licensing Section and the Quezon City Licensing Center (QCLC) starting October 28. Further, it will then be followed by other offices in the National Capital Region on November 3, 2021. The schedule in other areas outside Metro Manila will be announced soon.

LTO Chief Edgar Galvante mentioned in an interview with CNN Philippines that the causes of road mishaps include those who are not knowledgeable about the driving rules and regulations, those who are not abiding by the laws, and those who are not observing road courtesy. Hence, a refresher course is an initiative to improve the performance of drivers.

CDE Program

The CDE Program is available at LTO Driver’s Education Centers 85 (DECs) (offline), Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) Portal 327 (online), or at LTO-accredited driving schools 20.

To take the Driver’s License Renewal Course online, you may visit the portal > go to E-Learning > click Driver’s License Renewal Course 431. The portal gives access to audiovisual courses specifically for Non-Professional and Professional drivers, which will take less than five hours to finish.

Besides, there are also presentation materials available on the LTO website. Check them out below.

• Road Safety 234
• Road and Traffic Rules
– Signs, Signals & Markings 93
– Expressway 33
– Rules on the Road 37
• Special Laws 50
• Special Laws (MC and TC) 31
• Other Regulations 26
• General Information 26

Note that taking the CDE Program is free at LTO’s DECs and at the online portal.

How to get a CDE certificate?

To get a CDE certificate, drivers must take a driver’s education exam. Those who attend the CDE program on DECs will have to take the exam face-to-face, while those who choose to accomplish the course online can take the CDE Online Validation Exam 470 via the portal.

Check out the passing score to get a certificate:

• Non-Professional: 50% or at least 13 correct answers out of 25 questions.
• Professional: 50% or at least 13 correct answers out of 25 questions.

Note that you must log in first to your account to accomplish the CDE Online Validation Exam. A CDE certificate will be issued once drivers passed the exam. After obtaining a certificate, it must be presented to LTO Licensing Renewal Official to process the renewal application.

According to the LTO, those who will fail the CDE exam may retake it until they finally pass the exam and obtain a certificate.

Should you wish to know more, you may check out LTO’s official Facebook page 34, or its website 13.