Leong: Alberta needs more routine driver testing

Almost three years ago, the Alberta government eliminated the advanced test for new drivers under the guise of red tape reduction.

It was a good change. The basic road test is now longer, incorporating elements of the old second test. New drivers with a clean record are automatically upgraded from a graduated driver’s licence to a full Class 5 licence.

At the time, there were apparently 500,000 of us aged 18 to 36 who never bothered to pay for the second test and just kept our GDLs forever.

Re-testing a good driver who recently passed their initial exam while the knowledge is still fresh in their mind really is the definition of unnecessary red tape.

That being said, government has a role in keeping our roads safe and driver testing is a key tool that should be deployed under specific circumstances to that end.

For example, we should have no objection to regular testing for every second licence renewal. Over such a length of time, it’s more than possible for regulations to have changed.

Distracted driving legislation came into effect in September 2011, for instance, so anyone who’s lived under a rock since then might not know drivers can’t be holding phones up to their ears or be fiddling with touch-screen displays.

Similarly, so-called move-over regulations became more stringent in September 2023 to protect first responders, law enforcement and other emergency workers stopped on highways.

Meanwhile, there were things shown in driver’s handbooks once rarely seen in real life — roundabouts come to mind — that have become a more common feature on modern streets.

Two decades is also enough time for bad habits to form and rules to routinely become bent or outright forgotten, and not necessarily on purpose or for nefarious reasons. (Fellow automatic transmission drivers: Do you ever use your e-brake for its intended purpose? Be honest now.)

There is no harm in making veteran drivers revisit the rules of the road every so often and prove they still know their stuff well enough to get a licence renewal.

We could even consider shorter road testing intervals for re-qualification of drivers age 75 and older. Some medical testing is already necessary for people in this age bracket.

Another category of drivers who should be re-tested is anyone trading in an out-of-province licence for an Alberta ID.

There is already some testing under certain circumstances but I wonder if the rules could be tightened a little without causing excessive disruption or inconvenience.

No disrespect to my fellow road users, but I’ve occasionally noticed some super-aggressive driving behaviour out there that might be better suited for the mean streets of Toronto, Vancouver or wherever else.

Everyone’s driving experience would improve if we all just chilled a little. Maybe some extra routine road testing could help with this.

Speaking of chilled: no one in Canada should be granted a driver’s licence without being certified for driving under sub-optimal snowy conditions.

My friends thought I was crazy for starting my driving lessons in winter but the experience proved invaluable.

Consider this a much-belated shoutout to my instructor, who took advantage of the season one day by moving our lesson to a quiet, snow-covered side street so he could teach me recovery techniques after simulating a loss of control.

It was a great confidence booster to have practical knowledge of what a skid feels like and what to do when it happens, rather than just reading about it in a book or watching a video demonstration.

(Only once did I not rise to the challenge in real life, when I unexpectedly came upon black ice on a curve while going 50 km/h on a city street. It doesn’t take much imagination to guess what happened next but luckily, nothing terrible came of it. Do not recommend.)

While I’m all for eliminating red tape, there are some instances when more regulatory oversight isn’t a bad idea. Long-term driver testing certainly fits the bill.

rleong@postmedia.com

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