It’s not for me, it’s for my nervous mother

Woman, 39, allegedly impersonated 73-year-old mom and took drivers’ test for her

Is it a crime to help your elderly mother?

Police in Smith Falls, Ont., say it could be after a 39-year-old woman allegedly tried to trick a drivers’ testing centre into thinking she was her 73-year-old mother.

The woman showed up for a road test last week wearing a wig and glasses so she could take the test in her mom’s place, police said in a news release.

Instructors were suspicious, but took the woman out for the test while a supervisor alerted police, said Staff Sgt. Rick Labelle of the Smith Falls police. “She was purporting . . . to be a 70-some-year-old woman but she looked much younger.”

Police suspect the woman was taking the wheel for the routine driving test in hopes of helping her mother.

“She told us it’s because the mother gets nervous taking tests,” Labelle said.

He couldn’t say whether the mother will now try the test herself.

The investigation was handled quickly, he said, and after speaking with both the mother and daughter, police believe it was simply a case of a daughter’s misguided attempt to “do her mother a good turn.”

“Unfortunately, you can’t do that,” Labelle said.

Labelle said the accused “probably knew it was wrong, but just didn’t take into account what the bigger picture is.”

“There’s a reason why we test people to make sure they can meet a standard,” he said.

The local DriveTest Centre declined to answer questions about the incident.

A spokesman with Ontario’s transportation ministry noted licence applicants must provide their signature, date of birth and a recent picture at any DriveTest Centre to prove their identity and “ensure only eligi- ble and qualified drivers obtain an Ontario licence.”

“If a process reveals a potentially fraudulent situation, the supervisor is immediately informed, and as required, police are contacted,” spokesman Bob Nichols said in an email.

“The ministry takes allegations of fraud seriously,” he added.

Nichols said he could not offer comment on “this specific instance of alleged fraud” because of the ongoing police investigation. The ministry did not say how often this occurs.

Police have not released the name of the Kars, Ont., woman who took the road test. She has been charged with personation, a minor criminal code offence. If convicted, she could face up to six months in jail or a fine of $5,000, or both.

The accused is set to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Perth, Ont., on July 11. With files from Christopher Reynolds