New Drivers Face Uphill Battle to Get Tested

September 02, 2021, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Covid seems to have disproportionately impacted the health and development of our children and youth. They have been socially isolated for long periods at the points in their lives when they need socializing the most.

Now it appears there is one more hurdle for them – the inability to get a driver’s licence.

Wait times for road tests were lengthy already with some centres booking a month in advance. That now seems very nice. It was reported last month that over 700,000 people are waiting for driver tests in Ontario. These individuals including new drivers, seniors, and international arrivals faced waves of cancellations over an almost 14-month time span. The impacts of not being able to drive are significant for many people.

From heading away from home to go to school (and losing access to the family vehicle for practice driving and testing) to the inability to take jobs or housing because transit options do not exist it is grim.

The province has agreed to open some temporary testing centres in high-demand areas and to hire additional testers but the backlog is not clearing very quickly. Driving past a DriveTest centre tells the story. There are long lineups and lengthy waits. People are reporting that the soonest they can book appointments is into 2022 within a large radius of their residences. The phone systems can’t cope, and speaking to an agent can be a challenge.

Other impacted groups include seniors due for testing, and commercial drivers as a requirement of work.In Canada where public transit is limited to large cities and inter-city public transit is almost non-existent driving is a requirement of living. It means access to jobs, food and housing. Not having a licence means you are obliged to stay living at home or move to a place where there is transit that you can rely on.If you are in the need of a road test DriveTest suggests you check their website regularly for new blocks of appointments.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.