A Qualicum Beach resident believes B.C. exams for drivers aged 80 and up to be unfair.
With Parksville Qualicum Beach having one of the oldest demographics in Canada, Judy Southern, who has been involved with the Qualicum Beach SeniorB次元官网网址檚 Activities Centre for nearly 20 years, said she has heard seniors discuss the B次元官网网址渦nfairnessB次元官网网址� of the exams.
B次元官网网址淥ne must arrange an appointment with a doctorB次元官网网址� if they have a doctor and then pay for it,B次元官网网址� said Southern. B次元官网网址淒octors charge, at their discretion. If one is lucky the doctor knows you well and may not feel that you need a follow-up cognitive test or road test.B次元官网网址�
RoadSafetyBC, the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 agency responsible for road safety, mandates persons 80 and above to renew their driverB次元官网网址檚 licence every two years. They are required to get a medical examination report to be completed by their physicians.
The medical report includes checks for cognition, eyesight and overall physical health. Medical Services Plan does not cover the cost of the exam which varies anywhere from $50 and up depending on the physician.
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Those that fail the medical exams, however, may end up having to take the Enhanced Road Assessment to determine whether they are fit to drive. It is free of charge but it takes a 90 minutes to complete and includes a pre-trip vehicle orientation, a 45-minute on-road drive and a post-trip review.
RoadSafetyBC indicated a driver cannot pass or fail an enhanced road assessment. ItB次元官网网址檚 just a process to determine the personB次元官网网址檚 fitness and ability to drive.
Southern understands that as people age, some cognitive abilities change. She also agrees that all provinces do require a review of a seniorB次元官网网址檚 driving. However, she claimed that British Columbia has the B次元官网网址渓east humaneB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渕ost expensiveB次元官网网址� system of any province.
B次元官网网址淭he road test for seniors is twice as lengthy as for any other age group,B次元官网网址� said Southern. B次元官网网址淪ome seniors who have never had problems driving suffer extreme anxiety at the process B次元官网网址� and, sadly, failure is pretty much guaranteed.B次元官网网址�
Jason Watson, communications manager for the Public Safety and Solicitor General Communications Office, indicated that RoadSafetyBCB次元官网网址檚 goal is to allow people to drive for as long as they safely can.
B次元官网网址淭he primary tool we use to assess driver fitness is the DriverB次元官网网址檚 Medical Examination Report, which a physician completes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淒octors charge a fee for this exam, and theyB次元官网网址檙e entitled to set the amount, which can vary B次元官网网址� but Doctors of BC recommends that physicians reduce or waive the fee for patients who are experiencing economic hardship. This has been the approach in British Columbia for at least a decade.B次元官网网址�
Watson pointed out not all medical information received from the DMER leads to road testing or further action by the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles.
RoadSafetyBC sends about 70,000 examination reports to drivers 80 and over and statistics every year and data shows that 98 per cent keep their driving privileges.
Parksville resident Dennis Belliveau had a business he sold recently that required him to drive to various locations on Vancouver Island. He is 84 and has had to deal with the RoadSafetyBC mandate. But he doesnB次元官网网址檛 have any problems with the RoadSafetyBC requirements.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e have not encountered any challenges at all,B次元官网网址� said Belliveau. B次元官网网址淭he first step of that process is a medical and I have gone through that on both ocassions and had no problems with that. I get a few questions from my doctor. I drive a lot of miles so I have to be very careful. I do 50,000 kilometres a year.B次元官网网址�
Belliveau said he reads the ICBC guidelines and driving instruction books to keep himself updated with the latest requirements. He advises other seniors to do it as well.
B次元官网网址淚 want to make sure I am up to speed on all aspects and the reason I pay attention to my driverB次元官网网址檚 licence, my business depends on me to have a valid licence,B次元官网网址� said Belliveau. B次元官网网址淚f I donB次元官网网址檛 have one, my business is dead. I canB次元官网网址檛 go out. So I canB次元官网网址檛 afford to lose my driverB次元官网网址檚 licence at least up until a couple of weeks before I sold the company.B次元官网网址�
Belliveau acknowledged there may be some seniors who find the current process difficult. But at this time, he said, heB次元官网网址檚 had no issues.
Southern wants to collect feedback from the public to help raise this matter with the government.
B次元官网网址淵ou might not be 80 years old right now but someday you will be,B次元官网网址� said Southern.
She said there is a plan afoot to gather people on the steps of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria to protest the unfairness to seniors once the COVID-19 pandemic is over.
B次元官网网址淚 replied that I was certain we could add substantial numbers from the (Parksville Qualicum Beach) area,B次元官网网址� said Southern.
Feedback or concerns can be emailed to Southern at jnsouthern@shaw.ca.
Currently, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Watson said, RoadSafetyBC temporarily stopped issuing routine age-based DMERs on Dec. 16.
B次元官网网址淲e want to support the ability of medical practitioners to respond to priority medical cases affecting seniors and other during this difficult time.B次元官网网址�
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