Our government is allowing [Insurance Corporation of BC] to discriminate with impunity against our seniors [“Assessments for aging drivers,” February 24]. For over 100 years, we had an individual driving record that would last until the end of your life, with no exceptions as long as you can pass a road test.
Driving is a way of life; from the time you first started to drive it was in our DNA. We need it for life itself. It’s like restricting your ability to breath.
[The provincial government] claims [its] concern is the public’s safety. Don’t you think the seniors should get that concern? Taking away their way of life when they reach the age of 80 puts them in the most stressful position. They lose contact with all their friends and family, volunteering and helping other seniors lead a productive life after retirement.
All of this was taken away just because after 100 years you assume seniors over 80 don’t have the smarts they used to have. Instead of checking their driving record and praising them for a good driving record, they ignore that and give them an alternative; take the computer test or lose your licence.
What effect the computer has on seniors, which, by the way, has nothing to do with driving ability. They implicate doctors in their scheme to make them look credible. I’m sure doctors may not be aware because they are concerned for their patient’s health.
The computer is designed to make senior’s fail. I was very much a part of my friend’s cruel and mean-spirited experiment, which is a disaster. There is serious damage being done. How can they get away with this fraud and not have government oversight?
Richard Dignard
Alberni Street
