ICBC conducting record number of road tests
Posted June 19, 2023 3:56 pm.
Last Updated June 19, 2023 6:31 pm.
The number of British Columbians looking to get their driver’s license is at historic levels, according to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC).
The public insurer revealed Monday that it conducted a record 35,500 road tests throughout the province last month, representing a 24 per cent increase compared to May 2022. Additionally, the insurer cites a 33 per cent increase in road tests overall in the past 12 months, eclipsing numbers seen pre-pandemic.
In the Lower Mainland, ICBC says there have been 247,770 over the past 12 months, representing a 40 per cent increase.
Jerry Boal manages a licensing centre in North Vancouver and has noticed the uptick in people looking to get behind the wheel.
“From my point of view, very busy,” he told CityNews. “We have 16 examiners here in the North Shore and they’re going out nine times a day.”
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He attributes the sudden surge in tests to a knock-on effect of the pandemic.
“We did see a huge break during COVID, of course. That was a massive time when a lot of people weren’t getting out there and doing things,” Boal explained.
Once lockdown restrictions were largely lifted in 2022, he says there was a surge in knowledge tests being booked, saying it makes sense that the increase in road tests followed this year.
Despite the enhanced demand for road tests, Boal says more staff and instructors have been brought on to keep up. He says most people should still be able to book a test within 60 days.
However, ICBC says that nearly half of people who take a road test fail their first time, meaning they have to take it again.
Boal says for many first-time test takers, a lack of observation and neglect of speed changes are the most common reasons behind failure.
“Shoulder checking, checking for bicyclists … 360 checks when they’re backing up or doing any maneuver. They really want to show that examiner the observation,” he explained.
“Speed maintenance in schools, playgrounds, those 30 km/h zones, people miss them they’re going too fast. Or they’re going too slow on a 50 km/h road where they’re holding up traffic.”
He recommends coming to the examination centre in a good mindset, taking your time during the test, and getting as much time behind the wheel as possible beforehand.
