Driving school lectures are overly-long narcolepsy-inducing chinwags in which bored teachers state the most obvious information ever uttered by a human voice.
And yet the provincial government has made the courses mandatory for those who want to drive.
The financial burden associated with that requirement makes driving impossible for many.
That's a shame because getting a drivers license is a key component to escaping poverty.
If a child from a single-mother welfare home wants to apply for a job that requires a drivers license or driving to work, he simply cannot because his family is too poor to get their hands on the $900 fee that such a dubiously-necessary education requires.
I have complained about this financial oppression to the Quebec ministry of transport, which caps the maximum price of lessons at $875 - a price that rises after textbooks and other fees are factored in.
The ministry told me that the driving schools have had the gall to ask to charge even more..
A simple bit of math will tell you that the schools have already got a gold mine on their hands already as the government is shifting tens of millions to these schools already.
A few phone calls will suggest that price-rigging might even be a possibility, as the supply of lower-cost schools has vanished over the years.
A few years ago in a misguided witchhunt, local media did a gotcha story on low-cost schools that allowed students to study from a computer screen. These driving schools were shut down by the government, which is a bad thing because they charged much less.
It should be noted that many other provinces and states don't even require driving lessons and indeed Quebec was in that group for several years.
Cars have become increasingly autonomous and safe and courses could conceivably be greatly shortened in the near future. The lessons are less needed than ever.
Here's a reddit thread I started on the subject a few weeks ago that attracted 156 comments.
I'd be ok with dropping the school requirement as long as there is a real driving test to attain a license and that test is rigorous.
ReplyDeleteCompetent, professional driving courses are necessary and should remain mandatory and previous attempts to eliminate them have proven to be a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteAre we to return to the bad old days when mom and dad or another relative taught junior how to drive?
Perhaps in decades past when there were fewer vehicles and highways to deal with, such rudimentary "training" might have been tolerable, but as the population increased, this was not enough.
And what about potential lawsuits against incompetently taught drivers; suits taken by maimed accident victims maimed or by the families of those killed? The courts would be tied up for years.
Driving courses will always be needed, particularly by those who are not mentally or physically coordinated.
See this and weep:
http://www.discovery.ca/Shows/Canada-s-Worst-Driver
I have no idea how to post to the reddit page so I will share this fact here re. driving as a privilege vs a right:
ReplyDeleteI went to court to contest a ticket, long story but the point is the judge plainly informed me "driving is a privilege, not a right" as she upheld the fine and humiliated me in front of a room of plebs!
The sad truth is that drivers are becoming more and more distracted by gadgets and devices inside the vehicle, thus paying less attention to what is on the road in front of them.
ReplyDeleteI can easily see the next trend whereby provinces, states, and other countries will require all drivers licences to indicate whether or not the license holder has successfully completed courses given by a registered driving school--much the same as whether or not a driver must be wearing eyeglasses. It's common sense.
However, if the license shows that the driver has not been professionally trained, then it is no stretch of the imagination to foresee lawsuits by accident victims justifiably claiming that a non-professionally-trained driver could have been negligent when involved in an accident.
Everyone who does their taxes every year will have noticed that the disclaimer at the bottom of the last page requires that the filer indicate whether or not they have calculated their own tax forms by themselves or had it done by a professional tax accountant or H.R. Block-type service.
If it is mandatory that bus and truck drivers must pass stringent testing--particularly regarding distracted driving--why give everyone else a "free pass" to climb into their car, van, or SUV to launch themselves onto our roads and highways oblivious to what may happen to them and others?
Please note that there is (as yet!) no "Driving a Vehicle--For Dummies".
http://www.dummies.com/Section/id-323904.html
For those who are pro-mandatory about driving lessons in this province. Well, if it is such a benefit, then WHY does Quebec literally have the worst drivers in North America?
ReplyDeleteSomething doesn't quite add up. This seems more a money making scheme than an investment in safety. In theory it sounds good, but in practice it's not...at least in the way Quebec does it. I just see this as further control in the nanny state of Quebec, and yet another hidden tax.
The cost of a license, insurance, gas and car maintenance is prohibitive enough (especially in this province!). Add on $1,000+ for mandatory lessons and it puts you over the edge. Also bare in mind, if you fail to renew your drivers license in this province, you are forced to retake driving lessons again and therefore penalized $1,000+ plus each time you let it lapse!
Driving school seems as unnecessary as CEGEP (another wasteful Quebec-only practice). Both should be abolished.
It's an age-old question as to why Quebec drivers are considered to be the "worst"--although that so-called "fact" is disputed by various researchers.
ReplyDeletehttp://jalopnik.com/5926297/the-ten-countries-with-the-worst-drivers/
If cegep was abolished we'd have more years of high school and university. There is literally no gain. We do the exact same number of years as almost everywhere else in the world.
ReplyDeleteas for the lessons, it wouldn't be bad if you learned something in the lessons. But I have learned nothing and do the practice quiz blindly. I think I learned more from the quizes then the teacher....