Raise standards for driver education

I was once in favour of private driver test examiners when I was director of driver education at the Alberta Motor Association from 1993 to 2002.

We saw integrity from the independent driver examiners, good service standards and excellent customer service.

But we needed to screen the good ones from the bad ones. No 15-minute tests and no guaranteed pass if you used the driving school’s driver-education car for the test.

When I was the director of driver programs for the government of Alberta 10 years ago, we saw many good private-sector examiners. But we also investigated many complaints and used undercover police officers to confirm these complaints and to discipline examiners who breached their duty to professionally serve Albertans.

Driver examiners can earn at least twice as much as government employees working as examiners. That is why Albertans pay more than people in any other province for a test of their driving skills and competence.

And we have the weakest graduated licensing standards in Canada. What a double whammy to putting safe drivers on the road.

This government needs to make a commitment to raising the driver education standards for car and large-truck drivers.

It should also increase the length and difficulty of the tests done by independent government examiners.

Vince Paniak, Edmonton