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Changes to DriveABLE: NDP say it’s ‘tinkering’
With the opposition NDP on the offensive, taking concerns about DriveABLE to the heartlands of the province, the Liberal government March 19 announced changes to the program.
Shirley Bond, Minister of Justice and Attorney General said the government was taking action in response to concerns raised by some seniors about the DriveABLE program, aiming to make the driving assessment process fairer.
“We have listened to the concerns expressed by seniors and we are taking action,” Bond stated. “For several months I have had our staff looking at the geographic issues and the need for a more effective model for rural communities. Our goal is to keep drivers on the road as long as it’s safe to do so, and my staff will continue to look for ways to improve this program. By offering the DriveABLE on-road assessment in addition to the in-office computer assessment, and by also taking into account the medical referral, the superintendent will be able to make the most informed decision possible around driver fitness.”
The government announcement answered some concerns raised during a pair of March 16 public meetings on DriveABLE, hosted by Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald and Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons, in both Cranbrook and Kimberley, but government is only tinkering, Macdonald stated.
“Clearly, the Minister is responding to the large number of seniors across the province who have investigated the DriveABLE program and have stated that they do not feel the test is fair. Not only is it wrong to ask seniors to drive such long distances to take the test, we have to be absolutely certain that the test they are taking is accurate.”
Minister Bond has indicated that she will allow seniors who fail a computerized driver fitness test to also take a DriveABLE road test. But for those who feel that DriveABLE’s scientific credentials have not yet been proven, simply allowing DriveABLE to do more testing is not a solution, Macdonald pointed out.
The minister’s statement on March 19 also indicates that DriveABLE is only now in the process of being peer-reviewed, he added.
“The BC Liberals signed a contract with a private company that has the ability to take away a person’s license even though we do not have adequate proof that the driver fitness tests were developed using the best science. To simply increase the amount of testing done by DriveABLE seems to me to be making a bad situation worse.”
Driver fitness testing is a serious issue, Macdonald continued, adding, there could be life changing results for some drivers and it is the responsibility of government to ensure that this process is managed fairly.
“From the start, the implementation of DriveABLE has been flawed, and tinkering around the edges will not make it better,” he concluded.
Bond said government is trying to find a balance between fairness and safety.
“With our growing seniors population, it is critical that we continue to ensure our streets are safe, while giving seniors the confidence that decisions on their ability to drive is done in the most respectful and thorough manner,” she stated.
About 60 seniors showed up for the mid-day session at Cranbrook’s Heritage Inn, with a broad cross-section of views on the subject shared, as well as personal experiences. Another 35 braved deep snow in Kimberley to attend another session later that afternoon.
Cranbrook resident Mike Connelly shared a story about driving a friend to Nelson for the DriveABLE test.
“I had to drive him to Nelson in a snowstorm,” he said, adding the test itself seems “random,” with some people being given five words to repeat backwards and others getting 10 words to repeat back.
“I’d be happy to get in a car with my friend and drive to Nova Scotia with him. He was a professional driver all his life. Can’t they scrap this thing? I am going to get old and I don’t to put up with this crap,” Connelly said.
Art Gruenig, Cranbrook’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, said, “I’ve been there and done that and there is nothing to worry about. They’re very nice people.”
That said, he admitted he doesn’t like the idea of people having to drive so far in order to be tested on their abilities to drive.
“The (computer) test isn’t that bad,” said the 82-year-old, but he didn’t like not being able to use his own car when it came to the driving test. He also noted that he didn’t appreciate having to return to Nelson on another day to take the driving test.
“What aggravated me was the two trips. That’s 1,000 kilometres,” he exclaimed.
The concern about having to leave Cranbrook for a test will be put to rest, Bond stated today, because Cranbrook will soon be getting B.C.’s 18th testing location.
While acknowledging the drive from Cranbrook to Nelson and back can be perilous in the winter, Simons suggested people should be careful what they wish for, as he successfully lobbied to get a testing centre in Sechelt, after Sunshine Coast residents had to take (one to two) ferries to Vancouver Island/Nanaimo for testing. Now he hears it from some constituents because the test centre is close by.
Simons lambasted DriveABLE, saying it cuts into seniors’ dignity.
“This has been a harshly implemented program,” he said. “We’ve raised it in all the ways we can in the Legislature.”
Simons said there is another aspect to DriveABLE that has him scratching his head, and squinting.
“The person who created this test works for and is married to the founder of DriveABLE,” Simons noted March 16, adding, “That is enough evidence” to warn “we have to be careful.”
Cranbrook resident Dr. Bill Hills noted that no states in the USA are using such a system. “This is an entrepreneurial private enterprise selling software. I don’t know why they don’t scrap it,” he said.
Simons and Macdonald urged people at both meetings to write letters and emails and consider petitions to let government know of their concerns.
“You have got to write and make your voice heard,” Macdonald stressed. “Independently we don’t have very much power – it’s only when we speak together” that the sitting government will start to listen, he said.”They know there is a problem. They want you to speak out. You have to share your experiences and then we’ll get the fix.”
One senior wondered aloud why Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett wasn’t at the meeting to speak on behalf of government.
Bennett’s constituency assistant Jennifer Osmar said the Liberal MLA has made every effort to engage the public on DriveABLE. “We continue to invite seniors to call or come and see us or Bill will go to them. That has been and always will be Bill’s mandate. He has been communicating about DriveABLE in various ways over the past several months … in-office meetings, news interviews, his MLA column and three facts columns,” she outlined.
The changes announced March 19 by government will ensure that British Columbians can do their driving assessments closer to home and will alleviate the potential anxiety some seniors are experiencing around doing an on-screen assessment, a provincial press release explains.
“The most important change means that a decision regarding a person’s ability to continue driving will not be made solely from an in-office computer assessment. People who fail the computer assessment will be offered a DriveABLE road assessment. The results of the in-office assessment combined with the on-road evaluation and medical information will ensure license decisions are made in the fairest manner possible,” the release notes.
The province will also pay for the cost of both assessments.
Of the 3.1 million B.C. drivers – 84,000 of whom are over the age of 80 – only about 1,500 are referred to take the DriveABLE assessment. People are referred to the superintendent by physicians when they have been identified as having cognitive issues that may hamper their ability to drive safely.
“The province has responded to seniors concerns, and is taking other steps to consistency and improved client service,” Bond’s press release states. “In addition to expanding the DriveABLE to provide an on-road assessment for those who fail the in- office computer assessment, the province will make the following changes: The service delivery model will be improved as quickly as possible by reducing the amount of travel for rural B.C. The service will be offered as close to home as possible by allowing more people to benefit from DriveABLE’s regional expansion and additional mobile services. Public awareness and an education program will be expanded to: Connect with seniors beginning at an earlier age; Connect with seniors organizations and families; and, Partner with medical professionals and physician groups to develop materials for seniors that helps explain age-related driving issues and medical fitness requirements for drivers over the age of 80, and information about planning for driving retirement.
DriveABLE is currently available at 17 centres throughout the province, up from three in 2005. A new centre will open in Cranbrook by early May 2012. Other locations are being considered in addition to the mobile services.
The Cranbrook and Kimberley meetings were the brainchild of Cranbrook resident Norma Blissett.
“It thought it was a good idea to give the seniors a heads up,” she told e-KNOW.
Above image: Nicholas Simons speaks with concerned seniors about DriveABLE during a March 16 gathering at the Heritage Inn in Cranbrook.
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
