Dear Editor:
I had the opportunity recently to attend a conference in regards to DriveABLE. I must say that after a lot of research into this subject, I am ashamed that anyone would endorse DriveABLE.
Statistics show that seniors aged 65 and over are one of the safest groups of drivers on the roads today, based on casualty collisions per 1,000 licensed drivers.
This assessment tool has never been shown to have a demonstrable and quantifiable close association with crash risk/crash rate reduction. This has never been done.
It has been proven through research at the Monash University Accident Research Centre that DriveABLE failed to achieve the specified 65 per cent probability of correctly identifying unsafe drivers. DriveABLE is more likely than the other test options to misclassify drivers as unsafe when they are in fact safe!
Alberta Transportation does not require an individual complete a Simard MD or DriveABLE assessment for renewal of their operator’s license.
This DriveABLE program is wrong. Improving access to this program will only result in more people’s lives being damaged. A court case in British Columbia has determined that this test is not enough to determine whether a person is incompetent to drive.
This program is set up to be a cash cow on the backs of seniors. DriveABLE Assessment Centres Inc.(an Alberta company) knows about the aging population and this is a lucrative business for them. Most tests cost an average of $250, which is not covered by Alberta Health.
The seniors’ population at large is falling victim to DriveABLE.
Seniors deserve nothing but the best and DriveABLE is Discriminatory to seniors based on the way the tests are assigned and completed.
If you or anyone you know has lost your driver’s license from taking the DriveABLE test or the SIMARD MD test, please contact me at 403-505-0838 or at voiceforseniors@gmail.com
James Nakoneshny