Senior drivers protest required tests
Minister says he won’t repeal cognitive testing
Alberta seniors have taken their protest against mandatory cognitive testing for 75-year-old drivers to the legislature, but the province’s transportation minister says he won’t change the rules.
Wayne Drysdale said Wednesday he understands the concerns seniors have about losing their licences, but he has to make sure Alberta roads are safe.
“It really affects their lives when they lose their licence — their independence, their ability to get around,” Drysdale said. “I support them keeping their licences as long as they can, but as minister of transportation, I also have to balance that with safety on the roads.”
He said he won’t repeal the mandatory requirement for seniors to have medical fitness assessments to keep their licences beyond age 75.
But he said seniors who balk at controversial tests such as Driveable and Simard can ask their doctors to give them other exams to determine their fitness to drive, including a driver examination.
Drysdale said the Alberta Motor Association is also developing another test that may be more acceptable to seniors.
“They are working on a new system, and they’re talking to doctors, and they’re talking to us about it,” he said.
“We’ll see what it looks like.”
Ruth Adria of Elder Advocates of Alberta complained to Drysdale about the Driveable and Simard tests during a meeting at the legislature last week, lamenting the high failure rate and $250 cost.
“There’s no correlation between the testing and the ability to drive,” she said.
She said some seniors who failed the tests have since gained back their licences upon appeal.
She was joined last week by five other seniors, including retired Leduc transport truck driver Gordon Gram, who had to hire a lawyer to get his licence back after discovering a doctor had suspended it.
“I’m sure I am not the only guy,” said Gram, 79.
Adria said she was disappointed with Drysdale’s response and has written Premier Jim Prentice to ask for an apology for the abuse seniors are suffering under his government.
“It’s outrageous, really,” she said. “These are our parents and grandparents who are being abused.”
Liberal MLA David Swann, a medical doctor, said assessments of the ability of seniors to drive safely need to be evidence based, include both physical and cognitive components, and involve a road test. “Without that, I don’t think it’s possible to do a fair assessment of anyone’s ability to drive and be safe,” Swann said.