Brenda Vrkljan, assistant professor with McMaster Univeristy's School of Rehabilitation Science and a member of the CANDRIVE team, says the ministry is embracing the organization's work. The new evaluation procedure came from years of work with CANDRIVE, an interdisciplinary group of researchers seeking to keep the elderly driving safely.
#SENIORS DRIVING PRACTICE TEST ONTARIO DRIVERS#
"It's rank discrimination," Tom Trent, 84, of Kichener, Ont., wrote to me after the MTO announced the changes to reassess drivers when they hit 80. There is predictable anger among seniors who mistake a driver's licence with a membership-for-life card, or who understandably believe clean driving records should speak amply on their behalf. Louisa Gembora, an independent clinical psychologist specializing in rehabilitation and a driving instructor, says: "The clock drawing exercise seems simplistic, but it's reliable and viable – we've used it for many years, providing the evidence to implement it."
They are designed to evaluate basic auditory language skills, memory, motor functioning, and ability to plan and organize.ĭr. The big change is with the two exercises (click on the link to the left), that require drivers to draw the hands of a clock to 11:10, and to cross out each "H" from rows of letters. The Ministry of Transportation's new evaluation includes a vision assessment, in-class group education, review of the driver's record and two short exercises, the latter to determine if further assessment is required. On April 21 in Ontario, new changes to the licence testing for people aged 80-and-over will take effect.