Man loses control of vehicle in parking lot

[omisimaw]

Driving lessons cost 3x more than they did 23 years ago. That's a significant deterrent for a lot of folks.

Agree.... too bad the schools do not include it in their programs...

[my5cents]

LOL guess you would have to ask someone who took an exam 50 years ago!
bottom line is there are some real valuable incentives to take the driving lessons..

I guess I nearly qualify, I took my first driving test about 47 years ago. It was a motorcycle driving test, I got my class 6 before my 5. The "tester" stood on the back porch of the Motor Vehicle Branch office in East Vancouver and told me to ride around the block. I made it around the block and that was my test.

Compare that to the present format where one first has to complete a skills test (ride through cones, etc etc) then the ICBC Road Test is comprised of two people following the subject in an ICBC vehicle in radio contact telling the subject where to go and what to do.

For my class 5 I drove around with a MVB road test guy, I'm not sure how different it is from now. The one exception is that the parallel parking test is now just optional. That I don't get. All these "smart" kids that know everything and we don't require them to parallel park.

As far as :

A dear friend lost her father to an accident that did not have to happen. He was employed full time, under 55 but oh well.... She had tried for 3 years to get the doctors to report him to Motor Vehicle Branch, who would not do anything without two Dr.'s reports....

This must have been outside of BC, because in BC it is mandatory for a health professional to report someone and it only takes one, not two

Report of health professional
230 (1) This section applies to every legally qualified and registered psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner and nurse practitioner who has a patient 16 years of age or older who

(a) in the opinion of the psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner or nurse practitioner has a medical condition that makes it dangerous to the patient or to the public for the patient to drive a motor vehicle, and

(b) continues to drive a motor vehicle after being warned of the danger by the psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner or nurse practitioner.

(2) Every psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner and nurse practitioner referred to in subsection (1) must report to the superintendent the name, address and medical condition of a patient referred to in subsection (1).

(3) No action for damages lies or may be brought against a psychologist, an optometrist, a medical practitioner or a nurse practitioner for making a report under this section, unless the psychologist, optometrist, medical practitioner or nurse practitioner made the report falsely and maliciously.

[omisimaw]

Not only was it in BC, it was less than 10 years ago right here in Kelowna.

[my5cents]

Not only was it in BC, it was less than 10 years ago right here in Kelowna.

The law is pretty clear. There is no requirement for two doctors to report. The OSMV will also accept information from family but I don't think it gets the same weight a doctors report does.

[omisimaw]

If one Dr. does not agree with the family another Dr. was deemed necessary...

[my5cents]

If one Dr. does not agree with the family another Dr. was deemed necessary...

Not quite what you said ".... Motor Vehicle Branch, who would not do anything without two Dr.'s reports"
If one doctor didn't think the person required reporting then that isn't "one doctor report" that's zero and since you couldn't get a "second" that's still no doctor reports.

[Piecemaker]

Driving lessons cost 3x more than they did 23 years ago. That's a significant deterrent for a lot of folks.

Agree.... too bad the schools do not include it in their programs...

School budgets being what they are would mean that it is too expensive a course to offer. Vehicles, insurance, qualified instructors and other costs would make such a course unlikely to be instituted. As well it can not be offered in a learning block with up to 30 students at a time. How many kids a day could take driver training? And wouldn't they need to be skipping other classes to get their road hours in, etc?
And even if the education system offered it, parents would still need to pay for it as an elective course. (Which they do now by paying the driving schools, so no benefit for them!)
If it worked well to have Driver Education offered in schools, it would still be there.

[Bsuds]

They could do the theory and just not the hands on. Then at least some of them would know what a School zone was as they can't learn that from watching their parents.

[omisimaw]

They could do the theory and just not the hands on. Then at least some of them would know what a School zone was as they can't learn that from watching their parents.

Extremely good thought!
We personally used all 3 methods with our brood. They got the school ed, the prof. driver school, and ma and pa with them until WE felt they were ready to leave the nest on their own wings.......
Yes it cost a bundle... back in the day I think it was about $250 for the professional training and then the school had a charge too but we got it back in credits on insurance to some degree.

[underscore]

They could do the theory and just not the hands on. Then at least some of them would know what a School zone was as they can't learn that from watching their parents.

This is a good idea, they'd be able to cover a much wider variety of scenarios and such too.

[GoStumpy]

Less than a month, and another Elderly driver crashes into a storefront.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#103012

An elderly couple was not seriously hurt when their car crashed into the front of Red Wing Shoes at Orchard Place Plaza.
Photo: Carmen Weld - Central Okanagan
Bill Horton blamed the incident on a possible vehicle defect.

BIll Horton says he was backing up the car with his wife in the passenger seat when the car lurched forward.

"I didn't have enough room to make the turn so I started to move forward to get a little bit more room and all of a sudden it just went into real high speed, just totally out of control until it stopped and hit the wall."

No one was injured in the accident and the front wall of the store stopped the car from entering the building.

Kelowna RCMP say no charges are expected to be filed and believe the incident may have been caused by a vehicle defect.

-- With files from Carmen Weld

[my5cents]

Less than a month, and another Elderly driver crashes into a storefront.

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#103012

"Kelowna RCMP say no charges are expected to be filed and believe the incident may have been caused by a vehicle defect."

Yes, it's a known defect in the area, it's the nut holding the steering wheel

[ferri]

this is being discussed in Kelowna where it belongs.