The chances a new driver will be involved in motor vehicle incident in their life is almost a given.
Motor vehicle crashes are so common, the word B次元官网网址榓ccidentB次元官网网址� has faded from the vernacular. With 330,000 crashes in B.C. each year, ranging from fatal to fender bender and with an annual average of 57,000 casualties of some sort, itB次元官网网址檚 simply accepted that drivers will be involved in an incident, itB次元官网网址檚 no longer an accident.
Given these stats, itB次元官网网址檚 surprising ICBC had to make a policy change in 2018 to increase the wait time between attempts for drivers who repeatedly fail their road exam.
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B次元官网网址淲e hope this will help to free up appointments for customers who are more likely to pass on their first or second attempt,B次元官网网址� ICBC spokesperson Joanna Linsangan said. B次元官网网址淧lease get plenty of practice before you come in for your road test B次元官网网址� it isnB次元官网网址檛 a practice run, this is the final exam.B次元官网网址�
In light of last weekB次元官网网址檚 reveal - that ICBC road tests in Victoria have increased to an average wait of 55 days in September of 2018 compared to 49 days in the same month last year - ICBC blames the delays on drivers coming B次元官网网址渦nprepared to the tests, booking more road tests than necessary,B次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渢hereby clogging up the system.B次元官网网址�
That included the staggering number of 50,000 tests a year for drivers who to take at least four road tests before they pass, Linsangan said.
Part of ICBCB次元官网网址檚 response is to hire 10 new road test examiners for B.C. Two of those are coming to VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 test branch at McKenzie and Borden.
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However, the operator of a driving education business in Greater Victoria says she foresaw the increase in wait times for driver license examinations years ago. Kate Wells of DriveWise BC in Victoria said she anticipated the road test waits to increase back when ICBC introduced the new 90-minute enhanced road assessments for seniors in early 2017.
Driver education is the key to truly decreasing wait times for final road tests and it will also enhance safety on the roads, she said.
B次元官网网址淚 believe [the ERA] is contributing to the backlog,B次元官网网址� Wells said. B次元官网网址淭hough this is a positive change that IB次元官网网址檓 in favour of, ICBC has not hired enough new staff to deal with the increased need for testing.B次元官网网址�
She says ICBC needs to do more to B次元官网网址渋ncentivizeB次元官网网址� driver education prior to getting a licence.
B次元官网网址淲e know trained drivers have a higher pass rate the first time they attempt the test (as per ICBC stats), so why not add some incentives for them,B次元官网网址� Wells said. B次元官网网址淐urrently only 6 to 8 per cent take the ICBC approved driving courses, the lowest number in Canada.B次元官网网址�
Other provinces do have insurance discounts to encourage new drivers to take training.
B次元官网网址淲e also plan to work more closely with the driver training industry to help ensure that we are putting safe, qualified drivers on the road,B次元官网网址� Linsangan said.
Booking a test?
Drivers seeking their road test can book 100 days in advance using ICBCB次元官网网址檚 online system (which helps ICBC ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand).
There are also stand-by appointments available at most offices.
I applaud ICBCB次元官网网址檚 initiatives to improve their online education component and ensure driving schools are meeting ICBCB次元官网网址檚 standards. I look forward to working with them to ensure qualified drivers are being licensed in a timely manner.
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