The province is about to make a significant change to the way new drivers earn their full licence. Beginning October 19, eligible novice drivers with a clean driving record will no longer have to pass the second road test before moving from the graduated licensing system toward a full Class 5 licence. Instead, the province will rely on a review of the driver’s record, followed by another 12 months of restrictions.

The government says the change will reduce barriers to licensing and bring B.C. into line with other jurisdictions. It argues that real-world driving experience over time is a better predictor of safe driving than a single road test.

I am not convinced. Neither are several driving school operators.

The second road test was not an arbitrary bureaucratic hurdle. It was the final opportunity for a trained examiner to sit beside a new driver and determine whether that person could actually handle the responsibilities of driving independently.

A clean driving record tells us that a driver hasn’t been caught doing anything wrong. It also doesn’t tell us how much time was actually spent behind the wheel.

The new parameters will not necessarily tell us that the driver is competent — and that distinction matters.

B.C.’s Graduated Licensing Program was introduced more than 25 years ago in response to a serious........

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