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By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Keeping a driver’s licence should be based on ability, not age

Jun 13, 2023 | 4:38 AM

DID YOU HEAR the one about the 86-year-old driver who took the government to court for having his driver’s licence taken away?

He was made to take a road test and failed it miserably. On multiple occasions during the test, he almost collided with other vehicles while making turns, drove too slowly “for conditions,” ignored advice from the examiner, made unsafe lane changes and failed to do proper shoulder checks, along with other mistakes.

The B.C. Supreme Court upheld the decision to suspend his licence.

This case once again demonstrated the trauma of having one’s driver’s licence taken away. The fact the man took it all the way to the Supreme Court with such a flimsy chance of success shows the seriousness of the loss of independence he must have felt.

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This man was obviously a bad driver. But that doesn’t mean we should assume all older drivers are bad drivers, just because they face health issues as they age.

Fact is, statistics continue to show that younger drivers are much worse that older ones. Stats released earlier this year show drivers 25 to 54 are involved in far more collisions for their kilometres of driving than those 55 and over.

And drivers 24 and under have a lot more collisions than those 55 and over despite driving a lot fewer kilometres.

The right to drive shouldn’t be based on age. It should depend on ability.

In B.C., when you hit 80, you have to get a report from your GP or NP that says you’re still OK to drive. At 85 you have to get another one, and then every second year after that.

Why shouldn’t drivers of all ages have to provide such credentials every time they renew their licence, and retake a road test at least every 10 years?

Or base it on driving records. That would make our roads a lot safer than making false assumptions about seniors.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.