For the last number of weeks the Leader has been following the story of 87 year-old Joe Smith and his effort to renew his drivers license.
However, even though Smith was eventually successful, his quest brings up a number of questions about how the medical community and the Alberta government determines if a person is fit to drive.
In Alberta, for the most part, once a person successfully passes his or her drivers licence, usually as a teenager the process is finished.
Yes, people have to renew their drivers license every five years, but the process of actually having to prove one is still capable of safely driving is something a person does not have to concern themselves about.
When a person reaches 75 before they renew their driver’s licence they must have a medical report filled out and signed by a doctor.
Although one would think the procedure is straight forward, in reality it is not, as Smith found out when he tried to renew his driver’s licence.
Besides the mandatory vision test and physical exam, seniors may be asked at the discretion of their doctor to take an additional test to determine if they are mentally fit to drive.
The problem is the test does not seem to be a fair representation of a person’s mental abilities.
The the SIMARD MD, is supposed to be an objective way to test whether or not a senior’s cognitive abilities have slipped to a point where they would be a danger, not only to themselves, but others as well.
The test, in itself, seems to be simple enough and fair enough on the surface. A doctor, or other medical professional, reads a list of a dozen common items and then asks the senior to recite them back.
Before the senior is allowed to complete the task they are interrupted and asked a question before being allowed to proceed.
If a person scores low enough, they may be asked to take another test to called the DriveABLE test. This test, like the SIMARD MD, purpose is to test a person’s cognitive ability.
According to Alberta Transportation, a person can opt to take a road test instead – a fact Smith says he was not told about until it was too late.
No one is questioning the need for the government to test the people’s driving abilities. An argument could be made that every driver, regardless of age, should have to undergo some sort of test to determine if they are still safe to drive. Nor is anyone questioning that a person’s cognitive ability is a large part in driving safely.
However, does the SIMARD MD and the DriveABLE tests provide Alberta Transportation with a good evaluation of a person’s driving ability?
Joe Smith and many others would say no. Perhaps it is time for the government to relook how it determines who is fit to drive, no matter what the age.
