B.C.'s government needs to do a better job explaining a computerized driving test for seniors, according to Solicitor General Shirley Bond in an open letter.
The DriveABLE test is the best assessment available to determine a person's cognitive ability to drive, Bond wrote.
"I recognize that the prospect of losing one's driving privileges can be very upsetting," Bond wrote.
Earlier this month, more than 150 people packed Cranberry Seniors' Centre in Powell River to voice concerns about DriveABLE, a touch-screen exam that tests cognitive functions like memory, attention span and spatial reasoning. According to information from the DriveABLE program, people do not need any experience with computers to take the test, but many seniors disagree.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast NDP MLA is hosting another meeting, this one in Sechelt today (March 9) from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Sechelt Seniors Centre and will be co-sponsored by the Sunshine Coast Senior Citizens (COSCO-B.C.).
In her letter, Bond stated that she has asked the superintendent of motor vehicles to develop an outreach plan that will explain why drivers must be medically fit to drive and demonstrate how the DriveABLE assessment works.
"Government has the responsibility of balancing individuals' desire to drive with the responsibility to ensure the public safety of all British Columbians," Bond wrote. "DriveABLE is one of the tools we use to help us make those decisions in a fair and reasonable way."
At age 80, every driver in B.C. is asked to complete a driver medical examination with their doctor. Those people who have been identified by a physician as having cognitive issues are referred by the office of the superintendent of motor vehicles to DriveABLE. Government pays the full cost of the assessment for any drivers it refers.
About 1,500 people are referred to the DriveABLE test annually. About 15 per cent fail and 45 per cent are referred to an on-road evaluation because test results were inconclusive.
If a person fails the test it costs $350 to retake it. Also, even if a person is asked to do a road test, that road test is done in an unfamiliar vehicle in an unfamiliar town, a combination that many of the people who attended the Powell River meeting said was unfair.
- Powell River Peak
