Episode list

Host Andrew Younghusband quickly goes through the ten year evolution of the nominee bad driving issues on the show, before he introduces the eight nominees for this season chosen from the approximately 500 applications. They are: Ian Brannan, a Kingston cabbie who has a list of excuses for why he has so many accidents; Mariah Carriere who is unrepentant about her bad driving, including her admitted drinking and driving; George Firth, a bully of a driver, who speeds excessively, tailgates and passes on the right; Tyler Fitzsimmons whose nervousness behind the wheel leads to ignoring traffic conventions to allow other road users to do things before him, and which is all the more surprising as he is a licensed pilot who enjoys being behind the controls of an airplane; Jason Marcoux, whose bad driving may solely be a function of his poor eyesight which he has not addressed; Siham Martell, who has had severe anxiety over driving ever since she was involved in a serious car accident four years ago; Santana Pike, who believes her driving exam was too easy which allowed her to pass it without she really knowing what she was doing; and Chanie Richard, a self-taught driver who does not understand the rules of the road or know proper driving technique. Cam Woolley, who is again the panel's legal expert, discusses the fact that distracted driving has replaced drunk driving as the number one cause of serious driving injuries compared to ten years ago, with half of this season's nominees addicted to cell phone use while driving, George who watches TV on his, and Chanie who takes multiple selfies per trip on hers. The nominees' first task is to drive the predetermined route with their nominator in the back seat from Niagara Falls, Ontario to the Drivers' Rehabilitation Centre at Dunnville Airport. One of the cell phone addicts decides to chart his own course using his phone's GPS rather than use the given directions. At the Centre, the nominees are then subjected to an assessment drive, consisting of a reversing section which includes both straightaways and slight curves, a tight maneuvering section through a concrete-barriered course, and a slalom which must be driven at at least 50kph. The eight then meet the expert panel for the first time, the panel who provide their initial thoughts.

The nominees' first three challenges are traditional ones to the show. The first is riding the rails, where the nominees are required to drive along a straight parallel set of rails, which will test if the nominees know where the tires of their vehicles are when they are driving. After receiving a lesson in the skills of reversing from Tim, the eight nominees then embark on the second competitive challenge, to reverse through a course. The extra pressure is that they perform the challenge head-to-head with another nominee. After receiving a lesson on driving through tight spaces from Philippe, most specifically by looking where they want to go, the eight embark on their third challenge, the annual eye of the needle with the needles offset to simulate lane changes, and the course which must be driven at at least 70kpm. Through the challenges, Ian provides Andrew a list of what he considers those areas of his driving which need attention, Andrew who in turn provides it to the panel for information. The panel, in turn, is confused by what Ian needs assistance with as the majority of those items listed are choices made by him as opposed to skills which can be taught. Jason still refuses to address his bad eyesight issue, the importance of which he does not quite understand in relation to his driving. During the panel discussion to name the first graduate of the season, they shortlist two nominees, the best driver and the one who acknowledges his/her driving issues. They do name a graduate which surprises the nominees and the graduate's nominator.

With Ian Brannan being named perhaps surprisingly the first graduate of the season - he being so named because he recognized the bad driving choices he was making - there are seven nominees left at the Drivers' Rehabilitation Centre. The panel believes the distracted driving demonstration is more important now than ever with cell phone use causing driving accidents being on the rise. Four of the remaining nominees are addicted to their cell phone while driving, another who would use it if his passengers would allow it, and another whose distraction is eating and drinking while driving. Partly out of that demonstration, Shyamala has a chat with Mariah about her perpetually happy emotional state and excessive drinking which probably hide deeper issues. Before the first official challenge, Jason gets his sight tested and addressed, his sight issues which were worse than he imagined. That challenge, which will first see if Jason's sole driving issue is/was his eyesight, is reversing a van in a figure eight course, which tests use of side mirrors and understanding the issue of front end swing in the curves. One nominee has a quiet meltdown, which Andrew has to address to keep her continuing the entire process. After receiving a lesson in seat placement and how to position one's body in the driver's seat by Philippe, the nominees embark on their second challenge, which tests if they can shoulder check on both their left and right sides and if they understand the concept of the blind spot when using their side mirrors. The panel has perhaps its most divisive deliberation, with the five having five different recommendations on who should graduate. One viewpoint does emerge, that which is announced at the graduation ceremony.

With Santana Pike being named the second graduate, six nominees remain at the Centre. The nominees' first challenge is to test if they know how fast they are driving by covering their speedometer. They are required to drive at both 50kph and 70kph, the latter which also entails them hitting on their brakes at a given point to avoid hitting a wall, which they should be able to do if they are indeed driving at the requested speed. Their second challenge is the annual water tank challenge, which includes a straightaway acceleration and deceleration section, a forward precision steering section, a dirt mound section, an S-turn section, and a reverse slalom section. Needless to say, more than a few people get wet including one surprised host. After receiving a lesson from Philippe on high speed swerving, the nominees are then asked to do a high speed swerve challenge to avoid hitting an obstacle that will pop up at the last minute. Philippe stresses that they should look for a solution rather than look at the obstacle which results in what he calls target fixation. Before these challenges, George, who is teaching is sixteen year old son Cody how to drive, expresses concern that he is transferring his own bad habits to Cody by osmosis. As such, without George's knowledge, Cody is brought to the Centre, he who is given driving lessons by Tim. It ends up being an eye opening experience for both father and son. After these three challenges, the panel decides they will not deliberate because...

There are five nominees left at the Centre with the graduation of George Firth. Before the next set of challenges, Andrew tries to impress on the five the importance of proper seating behind the wheel and the negative consequences of not doing so if/when an air bag is deployed. The first challenge for the five is to do a three point turn in a school bus in an enclosure. This task may be difficult for some who either do not grasp the concept or who do not even know what a three point turn is. The second and third challenges require Philippe to teach them the associated and related maneuver. The first is a forward 180 degree hand brake spin out. The second is the same but in reverse. The two challenges are to accomplish each maneuver in an enclosed space. Philippe and Andrew try to impress upon the five the importance of learning such skills even though their use in everyday driving may not be evident. These two tasks are perceived more difficult because of the pressure associated with doing what are perceived as skills only used by stunt drivers. During the graduation deliberation, the panel short lists two, their ultimate decision on who to graduate based on the nominees' own perspectives on whether they feel ready to graduate.

With the panel deciding not to graduate anyone at the last graduation ceremony based on the nominees' own wants, there are still five left at the Centre. As it is one of the most destructive and frightening activities for the nominees as a collective in their everyday driving, parking in a crowded parking lot is their first challenge. They must obey all standard rules, one nominee who is totally oblivious to legalities of property damage in parking lots. They must park into any available legal space in one go, in each case backing up, a penalty incurred if the parking maneuver is done incorrectly. Their second associated challenge, after being taught the skill by Tim, is to parallel park, again it only considered a pass if they complete the maneuver backing up and straightening out each once (as opposed to going back and forth several times) without hitting anything. Some of the nominees demonstrate how short their attention span is in trying to park. The third challenge is a high speed slalom at 80kph. The obstacles are set 30 meters apart, which should make the task easily doable. After their first run, each nominee will get a second attempt, deciding if they want to shorten the distance between obstacles and by how much. This decision is to see if they know and understand their own driving limitations. At the deliberation, the panel short lists two, the one who performed the tasks the best, the other who has a better natural grasp on driving concepts. Tim may be the deciding force, he who has a unique perspective as the person who has taken all the nominees out onto city streets for driving lessons.

With Mariah Carriere being named the latest graduate, there are four nominees left in the running to be named Canada's Worst Driver. Their first challenge is to do a straight reverse one kilometer in length, the longest reversing challenge ever on the show. There are several sections, the side barriers made of different materials and the lane being differing widths throughout the course. The nominees are told that it is a race, that they are to complete the course as fast as they can. Most do not however realize that success still entails not hitting anything. Tim holds himself largely responsible for their success or failure having taught them how to reverse properly. The second challenge is the annual parking within the concrete enclosed cross challenge, needing to back into each of the four parking spots, namely the arms of the cross. After being taught how to drive out of skids by Philippe, the four then embark on their third challenge, to drive out of an icy skid without hitting the wall. Andrew stresses to the nominees that no one has ever graduated without having successfully completed this challenge. At the panel deliberation, Andrew makes a bold suggestion, which if it happens will be a first for the show in its ten years. Only the graduation ceremony will show if the rest of the panel agreed with Andrew's suggestion.

With Tyler Fitzsimmons being named the most recent graduate, there are three nominees remaining at the Centre who are in the finale for the running of Canada's Worst Driver: Jason Marcoux, Siham Martell and Chanie Richard. Their first challenge, which they each have ten attempts and forty-five seconds per attempt to complete, is a forward and reverse slalom course. Their second challenge is the annual mega-challenge, where each is required to use all the knowledge learned at the Centre to maneuver through a set course. The sections on the course include a combined eye of the needle/slalom section, a forward and reverse precision driving section, a confined parking section, a reverse flick section, and an icy corner section. Their final challenge is to drive through a preset route through the streets and highways around Hamilton, Ontario with Andrew as their passenger and adjudicator. The panel truly do deliberate about the merits of naming each as Canada's Worst Driver, some who excelled at certain aspects while failing miserably at others, while some were generally bad drivers all around but teachable and cognizant of what they were doing wrong. But the choice of who the title may go to may depend largely on how each did on the most important final public road challenge in combination with what each nominee says in front of the panel for the final time.