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Too little, too late
Letter to the Editor
In the controversy over the British Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles adopting the software program DriveABLE for testing seniors, Justice Minister Bond is mistaken when she states: “DriveABLE is a standardized test used across North America to determine whether the person has the cognitive ability to be licensed to drive.” [eKNOW, March 14, 2012]
Because Minister Bond’s claim looked suspect to me, I checked out the licensing procedures for older drivers in all 50 US states. I found none using DriveABLE. (See US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Older Drivers Renewal Provisions March 2012.)
If no Department of Motor Vehicles in the US was using DriveABLE, what was Minister Bond thinking of when she stated it is used across North America? Health South is the answer.
Health South is the largest US owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals. They advertise: “At Health South, rehabilitation is all we do.” DriveABLE is available at 22 of their 99 rehabilitation hospitals. It is also available at other health facilities such as the Denver Brain and Behavior Clinic, Connecticut Neuropsychology at Groton, East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic in West Melbourne, and Lee Memorial Hospital, Senior Adult Services in Ft. Meyer, Florida.
The minister’s latest tinkering reminds one of the HST rollout–too little, too late. Why is the government defending and advocating on behalf of a private company? The minister’s statement that the testing methods used by the DriveABLE program are undergoing peer review gives rise to the question: Did B.C. purchase a pig in a poke?
Minister Bond admits “that as a government, we need to do a better job of explaining the process.” But explaining and communications does not address the problem of technology triumphing over purpose.
The genesis for this private venture was someone’s growing concern regarding the need for screening older drivers. What is really needed is a close screening of our government. In the U.S., no driver is tested solely on the basis of age. Treating people differently solely by virtue of advanced age is age discrimination. Why are we so out of step?
B.C. has a driver testing system that works well. It tests driving, not cognitive functions, and is widely available. Minister, it’s time to cut bait and let this sucker go.
William G.Hills, Ph.D.,
Cranbrook
Above image: driving.ca
