DriveSmartBC

Yesterday's edition of the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper contained an article about Justice Minister Shirley Bond considering making the driving record of B.C. drivers public knowledge. The idea is that if conventional methods of convincing drivers to follow the driving rules are not successful, then it is time to find other solutions. This one would be aimed at embarrassing a non-compliant driver publicly.

Whether you are studying to apply for your learner's licence or see yourself as a better than average driver, it's worthwhile to verify that your driving knowledge is correct. Both ICBC and the Richmond Public Library have on line practice knowledge tests for drivers.

For less than the price of a traffic ticket, you can find businesses on line that will sell you a "novelty" B.C. driver's licence that looks a lot like the real thing. Would it make a perfect gift for your favorite prohibited driver or perhaps avoid becoming prohibited if you have too many penalty points right now?

Mark Clayton Mahovlich needed some ID because his driver's licence had been cancelled. He applied for a BCID using his brother's Care Card and birth certificate, neither of which carries a photo. Mark has a history of identifying himself as his brother and has caused significant problems for the brother by doing this.

For most of us, there is no way around it. If we drive a motor vehicle on a highway we must carry our driver's licence with us at all times and produce it on the demand of a police officer. We must also allow the officer to take it in hand and examine it. There is no 24 hour grace period to produce it at your convenience, contrary to what many people commonly think.

Ian Shafer used to live in Las Vegas, Nevada and had licensed his car there. He moved to Oak Bay, B.C. but had not obtained a BC driver's license or BC license plates and insurance at the time he was stopped for speeding by police in Victoria.

Regardless of the fact that I paid $75 to renew my driver's license, it isn't mine. In fact, it states on the back of the license that "This card remains the property of the issuing agency and must be surrendered upon request." If that request is made or the law requires its return there is no refund of fees and you must give it back.

When I worked in traffic law enforcement it was standard procedure for me to scan the rear of every driver's license that I examined. Often I would find the restriction 21, corrective lenses required printed there. If the person was not wearing glasses I would look carefully at their eyes to see if I could see contact lenses. If they were there, I could see them most of the time.

It was always a challenge when the violator failed to produce their driver's license. Were they being truthful when they told me that they had forgotten it at home? Did the name, address and birth date that they gave me belong to someone else? That honest face was occasionally nothing more than window dressing.

Altab Ismail has a significant driving record and owes ICBC money from an unresolved collision debt, so his driver's license was canceled when he made no attempt to satisfy the debt. From Mr. Ismail's point of view the difficulty lay in the fact that he worked as a delivery driver and required a driver's licence in order to earn his living.