More than 150 people jammed into Cranberry Seniors' Centre on Wednesday, Feb. 8, to hear from Powell River - Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons and voice their concerns over the way the province retests seniors for driver's licences.
Controversy over seniors' driver's licence retesting, particularly the DriveABLE program, has been stirring locally since late 2010, when Simons first brought the concerns of some of his constituents to the public's attention.
At that time DriveABLE testing was available only in Nanaimo, and many drivers were upset over having to make a trip that only added to their stress over the test.
Since then, testing has been made available in the Comox Valley and a mobile testing unit offers the test in Sechelt.
Former Sunshine Coast Regional District director and Sechelt councillor Ed Steeves led the charge to get the testing locally, along with several concerned seniors and community groups.
At last Wednesday's meeting, Simons addressed a number of concerns seniors are still having with the testing. One complaint is that the computerized nature of the DriveABLE test makes it hard for seniors who may have no experience with computers. DriveABLE proclaims a person does not need any experience with computers to be able to do the test, but many at the meeting obviously disagreed.
"The turnout in this room isn't saying we should stop testing seniors, it isn't saying we shouldn't worry about the safety of our streets, it's saying do it in a forthright manner, in a way that's fair to every person and one that we can rely on and trust," Simons said.
In an email response to the Peak, Justice Minister and Attorney General Shirley Bond stated that public safety "must remain the primary consideration in making driver safety decisions."
She said the office of the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles is working with service providers on communication with the public to create a better understanding of the process. Expansion to the DriveABLE program is also being explored, so more communities can be serviced directly.
Simons also spoke of what he sees as a potential conflict of interest in the process. A test that is becoming standardized for doctors to use to determine whether a patient's cognitive abilities may need to be retested for driving, the SIMARD MD, is in part the creation of Bonnie Dobbs, the spouse of Allen Dobbs, president and chief executive officer of DriveABLE. A study by the Canadian Geriatrics Journal in 2011 found the test to "not be sufficiently accurate" as the only determinant of whether a driver needs retesting.
In response to questions over the potential conflict of interest, Bond said the DriveABLE program was in place before Bonnie Dobbs did research for the province and that she is a respected researcher.
"We need to be very careful," wrote Bond. "Dr. Dobbs is internationally renowned for her work."
Another concern is that if a person fails the test, it costs $350 to retake it. Also, even if a person passes the test and is then 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 attendees expressed is unfair.
One man spoke to the crowd of having to get retested in Nanaimo, despite passing his doctor's tests. He said that the testers made him wear his glasses, which he wears while driving, for the DriveABLE computer test. The glasses, however, help him see things in the distance and made completing the test on a screen difficult. He failed and lost his licence. He advised anyone scheduled to take the test to begin playing computer games to prepare.
"Or get an eight-year-old to help you, like my granddaughter," he said.
One of the suggestions Simons put forward is to develop a stronger system of licence restrictions, rather than revocations. Licences restricting senior drivers to drive only within their community or to drive only during the day or on roads with speed limits no greater than a certain speed were suggested as alternatives.
Simons said to the crowd that he believes the large turnout and further support will force the government to have another look at the testing. "And that's what we want, another look at this whole system," he said.
Simons, when interviewed on Coast TV's Parliamentary Talkback Feb. 2, said he is looking at hosting a similar town hall meeting in either Sechelt or Gibsons. A date for that meeting has not yet been set.
- With files from Ian Jacques
