Your first drive is one you’ll remember, and for many teen Calgarians that drive is the way home from rural Alberta, where it appears to be much easier to pass a road test.
Calgarian Anna Gunn, 16, is opting to take her next road test in Turner Valley after two unsuccessful attempts in the city, because friends have told her it’s easier.
Gunn said a busy city and more obstacles led to her failure. She said she wouldn’t have run into these difficulties on the sleepy country roads.
“It was really stressful. I’m not used to having so many things going on,” said Gunn.
Katie Baker, who turns 16 in a few weeks, has also discussed with friends where it might be easiest to take the road test.
It turns out they’re right, it is easier to take a test in small-town Alberta, according to Jim, an examiner with Certified Driver’s Testing, who didn’t want his last name released.
“Without a doubt (small towns) have a higher pass rate,” said Jim. “The more challenges within the area, the lower the pass rate.”
He claimed Calgary has a pass rate of around 60 per cent, while Mike Vikse in Crossfield said they pass well more than 80 per cent.
Jim can’t argue with the teens’ logic.
“A wise person would go out to a small community to do their road test,” he said. “If you’re struggling to pass a test in Calgary, then go out to Turner Valley or High River, there’s less obstacles out there.”
Heather Kaszuba from Alberta Transportation said the province standardizes minimum components for road tests, but she couldn’t speculate on how an individual might respond to conditions.
