If Driver Z can’t be fixed, consider other options

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This article was published 05/10/2024 (579 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There has to be a better way to train teens to become safe, competent motor vehicle drivers.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, as the outside temperature plunged toward the freezing point, scores of Brandon parents and their teenage children lined up outside the Guild Insurance location on Victoria Avenue, hoping the teens in the queue would be approved for enrolment in the province’s Driver Z program.

The program is Manitoba Public Insurance’s high school driver education program. According to the MPI website, the course combines online and in-car learning to give students aged 15 and a half or older “the tools, knowledge and confidence to improve their driving ability, reduce risk, and prevent collisions.”

Those are important objectives, but it is obvious that the demand for the course in Brandon and Westman vastly exceeds the number of spaces available. As a result, we have students and parents lined up outside registration centres, hoping to score one of the few available slots.

By 6 a.m., there were more than 30 people in the line at Guild Insurance, and many of those had been standing there in the cold for hours. By 8 a.m., when the insurance company opened for business, the line had grown to more than 70 cold souls. To the disappointment of many, however, there were only 48 spots available, meaning that hopeful parents and teens were unable to register for the course.

We agree with Brandonite Vernon Riddle, who told the Sun, “It’s ridiculous that you have people standing outside in the middle of the night to try to register their kids. It’s not safe, and it’s not a proper procedure … It’s like the system is set up to fail.”

Making the situation even more frustrating is the fact that this is not a new issue in areas outside of Winnipeg. This past May, the same problem — not enough slots in the Driver Z program for all the interested students — occurred throughout Westman.

In response, MPI issued a statement that acknowledged that the current demand for the course in rural Manitoba is far higher than the number of spaces available. It identified a shortage of qualified instructors as the cause of the problem, but said it expected more than 4,000 seats would be available in communities across the province for the fall program.

Four months later, the problem hasn’t been solved. Teens who want to take the course are still being turned away and MPI is still saying it doesn’t have enough qualified instructors to meet the demand. Worse still, the Crown corporation isn’t offering a timeline for when the problem will be fixed.

That’s unacceptable. A driver’s licence is an essential part of our mobility and independence, especially for those living in rural areas of the province. It enables access to health care, education and employment opportunities. It plays a vital role in both our economy and the viability of rural communities.

Beyond that, we all share an interest in ensuring that all drivers on the road, young drivers in particular, possess the skills and knowledge required to operate a vehicle in a safe manner.

With those vital interests in mind, and the reality that this appears to be an ongoing problem, it is fair to ask if MPI is approaching the Driver Z issue with the level of seriousness it requires. It says that it is “reviewing compensation, training and support for instructors to attract and retain instructors,” but this isn’t a new problem. Where are the results? Why isn’t the situation improving?

Perhaps it is time for the province to consider other driver education models for teens, whether in partnership with MPI or independent of the Crown corporation. There are several private driver-training businesses in Brandon that could potentially be part of the solution. Other jurisdictions may offer different approaches and solutions that could work here. Every viable alternative should be considered.

Some may be reluctant to try a new approach, but the status quo isn’t working. Manitobans living outside of Winnipeg need and deserve a driver-education program that meets the needs of all students, not just those who are willing to stand in line all night long.