Should BC follow Alberta in requiring drivers to be re-tested at the age of 75?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – When seniors should have to take driving tests has been a long-standing debate in our province.

Alberta has just changed the rules so drivers in that province have to be re-tested at age 75 instead of 80.

Seniors advocate Art Kube, 81, is a former president of the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations of BC. He doesn’t want to see that change in our province.

Kube hasn’t seen any statistics that show there is much of a difference between 75-year-olds and 80-year-olds.

“As a matter of fact, we never do anything when, for instance young people have major accidents, because that seems to be accepted. But when a senior has an accident, a big fuss is made out of it.”

Kube claims seniors are involved in fewer accidents than young people.

“The other thing is the testing — especially the one they brought in from Alberta — is not senior-friendly, and our organization has fought very hard to bring some fairness into the system and keep it at 80,” he tells us.

Right now, 80-year-old drivers in BC have to go along with a driver medical examination report; a road test can be requested after that. The province is not planning to make any changes to that rule.

“People middle-aged or younger have also, quite often, medical difficulties or medical shortcomings, but we don’t say ‘No, you have to take a test,” says Kube.

Kube thinks it’s unfair to single out seniors under the age of 80.

Raynald Marchand with the Canada Safety Council isn’t taking one side or the other. He thinks the need would have to be assessed through examining statistics.

“The Ministry has to realize that it can be seen as discriminatory in some cases. So, they need to actually really get the facts straight, so that whatever they do is actually benefiting that age group,” he explains. “On the other hand, if the statistics are shifting, which I kind of doubt, but if they are shifting, then maybe there is something at work that needs to be looked at.”

Marchand adds tests can be traumatic for a lot of seniors, and mentally, it can be difficult for someone to lose their license and their mobility.

 

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