Class 5 And Class 7 Road Tests Are Restarting On 20 July 2020

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Class 5 and Class 7 Road Tests are restarting on 20 July 2020.
Here is a link to the ICBC page on Booking A Road Test. To book driving lessons you can Contact Us by phone/text at 250-732-8093, by email at mark@westcoastdrivertraining.com or through the Dialog Box at the bottom of this page.
To book a Road Test by phone call ICBC at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300. To book a Road Test online, here is a link to the ICBC page on Booking A Road Test Online
For our clients who have been waiting for this announcement of Road Testing resuming before booking lessons, please call us to book lessons as soon as possible. We anticipate many clients booking lessons now to prepare for their Road Tests.
ServiceBC office, 5785 Duncan Street, where ICBC Road Tests are conducted in Duncan, B.C. (photo by West Coast Driver Training)
ServiceBC office, 5785 Duncan Street, where ICBC Road Tests are conducted in Duncan, B.C. (photo by West Coast Driver Training)
Here is the text of the email we just received from ICBC:
ICBC resumes enhanced road assessments, motorcycle, recreational trailer and passenger vehicle road testing

Starting July 7, ICBC will be resuming Enhanced Road Assessments, motorcycle and recreational trailer road tests.

Customers can book an appointment from today by calling our Driver Licensing customer contact centre at 1-800-950-1498 or 250-978-8300. Motorcycle road tests can also be booked online on icbc.com. We ask customers for their patience as we anticipate high call volumes.

We’ll be contacting customers whose Enhanced Road Assessments, motorcycle and recreational trailer road tests were cancelled between March 17 and 30 to prioritize their appointment. RoadSafetyBC will be sending customers who qualify for an Enhanced Road Assessment appointment a letter which include those who had their appointment cancelled because of the pandemic.

As previously announced with the resumption of commercial road testing, our driver examiners are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of road tests and have access to a combination of equipment including masks, shields, goggles, gloves and disposable seat covers.

We also provide mandatory medical grade masks for our customers to wear during their road test.

For motorcycle road tests, riders are not required to wear a mask due to the nature of the test but are required to wear the safety vest, which is sanitized after each use.

Conducting motorcycle tests now allows us to reduce the current backlog, which will free up more road test spaces and allows us to secure more PPE as we prepare for the restart of passenger vehicle testing. In addition, conducting motorcycle tests during summer months reduces the likelihood of cancelled tests due to weather.

As a reminder, we ask that customers arrive 15 minutes before their road test appointment and

·         ensure they have the required identification

·         be prepared for health screening questions

·         ensure the interior of their vehicle is clean, and

·         maintain physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) from ICBC representatives when possible.

We will continue with a phased approach of increasing the in-person driver licensing services we provide, while maintaining health and safety a top priority.

Priority testing for essential health care workers and first responders

Starting today, essential health care workers and first responders who require a licence for their job can call our Driver Licensing customer contact centre to book a priority road test appointment. These road tests will begin on July 20.

Rescheduling of cancelled Class 5 and 7 road tests

ICBC Customers — and schools who booked on behalf of their students — that had a Class 5 or 7 road test cancelled between March 17 and March 30 will be contacted to reschedule their appointment. We’ll be calling these customers and schools starting today, and these road tests will begin on July 20.

Following this first grouping, we’ll then be prioritizing the re-booking of customers who had road tests cancelled after March 30. It is expected that these customers will be able to re-book through the month of August.

More details on the timing for new road test bookings will be provided in the following weeks.

We know there is a significant demand for road tests with a backlog of customers whose road tests were cancelled. We’re looking at a number of things, including our resourcing, hours of operation and conducting road testing at other ICBC facilities.

To manage the demand and volume of customers in an office at any given time, ICBC is also looking to move to an appointment system for in-office visits, including driver licence renewals. We are not offering standby appointments at this time. More information will be provided when plans are finalized.
To book driving lessons with West Coast Driver Training, you can Contact Us by phone/text at 250-732-8093, by email at mark@westcoastdrivertraining.com or through the Dialog Box at the bottom of this page.
ICBC Driver Licensing office, 6475 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, B.C. (photo by WestCoastDriver Training.com)
ICBC Driver Licensing office, 6475 Metral Drive, Nanaimo, B.C. (photo by WestCoastDriver Training.com)

Here are some media reports about ICBC Class 5 and Class 7 Road Tests Restarting on 20 July 2020:

Our 2020 Toyota Prius Prime is now available for lessons (photo: West Coast Driver Training)
Our 2020 Toyota Prius Prime is now available for lessons (photo: West Coast Driver Training)
Our 2018 Toyota Corolla parked outside the Starbucks / Chapters, Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, B.C. (photo: West Coast Driver Training & Education Inc.)
Our 2018 Toyota Corolla parked outside the Starbucks / Chapters, Woodgrove Centre, Nanaimo, B.C. (photo: West Coast Driver Training & Education Inc.)

New ICBC Announcement – ICBC Will Be Screening Road Test Examinees For Coronavirus Symptoms

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ICBC has just announced a “Mandatory Questionnaire For Road Test Examinees To Screen For Potential COVID-19 Symptoms”.

We had a student do a Class 3 Road Test today at ServiceBC in Duncan and he was not screened for COVID-19 symptoms. But anyone going for a Road Test should be prepared to be scrfeened for Coronavirus symptoms.

Here is the ICBC announcement:

“Mandatory questionnaire for examinees to screen for potential COVID-19 symptoms

ICBC is taking additional measures to protect our driver examiners where a road test examinee may have travelled to a high risk country or is presenting symptoms known to be associated with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Effective immediately, every examinee coming in for a road test will be asked about their recent travel destinations and asked some medical related questions.

After completing the questionnaire, an examinee will be advised if they can continue with their road test or be rescheduled. A minimum waiting period of 14 days will be required for a rescheduled road test.

Until further notice, a driver may cancel their road test within 48 hours of their test — and won’t be charged a Late Cancellation Fee — if their reasons are directly related to ICBC’s screening questions about COVID-19.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, continue to take appropriate steps to maintain clean driver training facilities and vehicles, and to remind students of proper hygiene practices.

External resources:

·        ​World Health Organization: About Coronavirus

·         World Health Organization: Advice for the public

·         Government of Canada: FAQ

·         Government of Canada: Travel advice and advisories

·         BC Centre of Disease Control: BC update

Please share this information with your staff and encourage them to check for important news and updates on our driver training web site dtcbc.com.”

ServiceBC office, 5785 Duncan Street, where ICBC Road Tests are conducted in Duncan, B.C. (photo by West Coast Driver Training)
ServiceBC office, 5785 Duncan Street, where ICBC Road Tests are conducted in Duncan, B.C. (photo by West Coast Driver Training)

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1954 Victoria Newspaper Story About A Planned Police Crackdown On Drivers Not Using Hand Signals

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Drivers taking ICBC Road Tests are required to demonstrate hand signals and many of our students ask why they have to know this since vehicles are equipped with turn signals and brake lights.

Here is a bit of history on the use of hand signals by drivers: a 1954 Victoria newspaper report about a planned crackdown by the Victoria police against drivers who fail to use hand signals.

Victoria newspaper story about a planned police crackdown on drivers not using hand signals, 1954.
Victoria newspaper story about a planned police crackdown on drivers not using hand signals, 1954.

Note the comments in the right hand column:

“Blinking lights on both sides of car (i.e. turn signals) that have an indicator inside on the dash are allowable if the blink 32 times per minute. Certain mechanical hands on commercial vehicles are allowed [note: some trucks and commercial vehicles of the period had mechanical indicators or pointers that signaled turns or lane changes], but the lighted trafficators on some British cars [note: some British cars of the period had lights which illuminated, but did not flash, to signal turns or lane changes] are against the law.”