Manitoba farm families with young teenagers are anxiously awaiting new driver licensing regulations planned for the province.
The provincial government introduced a new law in December that introduces a graduated licensing system. The details will be in the regulations.
It may take three years under the new system for young drivers to become fully licensed.
According to government statistics, new drivers are nearly three times more likely than the average driver to be involved in accidents. Statistics show that graduated licensing systems lower the number of crashes and traffic deaths.
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A task force recommended a three-stage licensing process over three years:
- Young drivers would be able to get their learners’ permits at age 16, but for a year they would only be allowed to drive with one experienced person in the car — no passengers.
- After passing a test, the intermediate permit would allow the driver to have more than one passenger, but puts some restrictions on night driving.
- After passing an advanced test, the probationary permit would permit passengers and night driving, but not commercial drivers’ licences.
Keystone Agricultural Producers’ members are concerned about how the new rules will affect rural families who don’t have access to public transportation.
“It really does change what you can and can’t do when you live in the country,” said Chris Hamblin, who speaks from experience.
When Hamblin’s eldest son got his licence, Chris and husband Lorne were able to become more involved in farm and community groups because they didn’t have to chauffeur as much.
Their second-oldest son also has his licence now, and drives himself to curling games in Winnipeg once a week. But depending on when the rules come into place, their youngest son may have to wait two years until he is partially through Grade 12 to drive without supervision.
A three-year system will make day-to-day living difficult for many farm families, Hamblin said.
They will have to wait longer for their children to help on the farm with tasks like driving to town for parts or moving people between fields.
Limit passengers
Many young drivers with learners’ permits get experience driving their families to church, school or sports events, Hamblin said.
But the new learners’ permits would prevent that experience, since only one supervising passenger would be allowed in the car.
“To eliminate that just seemed to be defeating the purpose of the whole first stage.”
KAP also worries the new rules will tighten the shortage of truckers and increase trucking costs, since young would-be truckers will have to wait until they are at least 19.
Agriculture minister Rosann Wowchuk said she too is concerned about the new rules, and told her caucus colleagues to remember rural kids can’t hop on a bus to get to work.
Wowchuk said the regulations have changed somewhat from initial proposals, although rural youth will face the same rules as city kids. She encouraged farmers to make their concerns known and suggest changes when the regulations are revealed.
“Many times, legislation is changed when many people make presentations,” she said.
