After receiving a large amount of complaints, the provincial government has announced it will take steps to remedy some of the concerns that seniors have voiced when it comes to the DriveAble program.
The program was introduced as a tool to determine whether a person had a cognitive impairment that would impede the ability to drive safely.
The testing is done in two phases: the first, a touch-screen test, done under supervision, where speed and accuracy are important factors and the second phase is a specialized road test.
But many seniors stated they didn't think the testing was geared toward them and that the testing centres were few and far between across the province.
"We have listened to the concerns expressed by seniors and we are taking action," said Shirley Bond, minister of justice and attorney general. "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."
The proposed changes are aiming to make sure 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.
But Phyllis Parker, a resident of Prince George whose license was taken away after failing the on-screen test, wants an apology.
"I think the Superintendant of Motor Vehicles should write a letter of apology to all those that were harmed by the computer test," said Parker. "There are too many errors resulting in a lot of false positives and thus the test is not reliable."
The biggest change will mean the 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 and road evaluation as well as medical information will ensure licence decisions are made as fairly as possible.
The government will cover the cost for both assessments.
Parker says the changes won't take back what her experience is.
"The fact that the government is going to keep using DriveAble, I disagree with that. A private firm should not be making money on an unreliable test. I would prefer the government run system whereby you are tested periodically on the road, which is a true measure of driving ability," said Parker.
DriveAble is currently available at 17
centres across B.C., up from three in 2005.
Ninety-five per cent of clients are referred to DriveAble by the superintendent following an assessment by their doctor or other medical professional that indicates cognitive
impairments that may make driving unsafe.
