AT fiest glance it appears that the new Graduated Licence Program (GLP) will be . a great boon to the dri- ving schooi industry. At . second glance, it won’t. At third glance, who cares?

Neither ICBC nor the Motor Vehicle Branch — which are the same body ‘these days — has ever put any stock in the driving school industry, regarding it as noth-

Sing more than a squeaky

“wheel over in. the corner. ‘There is a reason for this. Depending. on whose statistics

‘Ou read, a_miere five-10% of

cw drivers currently make use of a driving school’s ser-

ices, .

.Furthermore, there aren’t any cold, hard and unbiased stats showing: paid driver instruction. makes any differ-

énee in the grand road-safety -.

cheine.of things. And gov ing a small niche industry ich specializes in a once-in- fetime service isa fruitless, thankless task ... until now. With the advent of the six- onth Learner Driver stage established by the GLP comes the conditional quick fix of d”. driver raining,

signals

cutting, the wait time in half (to three months). Currently, there is no such thing as an “approved” driver taining course though acerediration plans are in the works.

It seems unlikely thar more than a few parents will be swayed by the anxious teen who simply can’t wait an additional three months before going solo. Forking over a sew hundred bucks to a newly “approved” driving school hardly seems worth it, in light of the fact that a mere 10% of parents consider the

_idea in the first place. It*s

improbable, too, that new B.C. residents needing a dri- ver’s licence — or 10% of those — will wiifully fork over a few C-notes just to shorten the wait.

This is all well and good when one considers the objective of an extended learning phase: better, more

north shore news

__ AUTO Cares about cri

experienced drivers.

This is not so well and good when one considers thar “waiting” and “learning” don’t necessarily go hand in hand. To wit, there is nothing stopping 2 new driver from learning, just enough to pass an as-yet unspecitied, unrcal- ized, road test of bureaucratic design.

So convincing the public that there is merit to approved driver training courses is lett in the lap of the driving school industry.

As it currently stands, there are a handful of excel- lent, big-name driving schools eagerly offering an in-depth, thorough and excellent train- ing program.

A plethora of smaller schools exists as well, some of them just as excellent as the big brand names. But some are barely adequate driving schools offering little more than barely adequate training at cut-throat rates. Some of these even mean well but just don’t have the stuff, others simply want your money.

Finally, on the dark side, there is another handful of — - driving schools that will seli you a driver's licence white barely disguising themselves as legitimate purveyors of the crash-course.

Ina “put up or shut up if you picase” manner, the GLP will, in effect, change all this. The hammer falls and the weak shall be squashed, well, most of the weak...

Sadly, this blind justice will Hatten a few of the good along with the bad and the ugly driving schools.

Mapping a Safe Course: The Graduated Licensing Program Curriculum for Driver Training School in British Columbia is a fairly comprehensive, government- issucd booklet describing the necessary components needed for driving school accredita- tion.

Keeping in mind thar only 10% of a few of you even care about this, the guide/bookler is, in short, The Poop. Leaving nothing to chance, the required program includes mandatory instruction of all aspects of maior vehicle con- trol (gone are the days of pay- ing to memorize the test route) as well as intangibles such as personal-risk assess- iment and lifestyle and how they afiect driving.

Compulsory classroom theory i is 3 big element, not only for its depth and breadth but for its resulting demand for a rented/leased /owned classroom space.

Friday, May 1, 1998 — North Shore News — 37

Any school wishing to be accredited (those who don’t are sure to become obsolete) must meet some lofty stan- dards indeed. Currently, most in that first handful of schools already meet the Safe Course Cucriculum in spades. They will, however, have to shell out the big bucks for a mandatory “mapping” course and endure government scrutiny betore being recog- nized as the fine institutes they already are. OL. well.

The “plethora-category” schools are much more hard done by. While a large num- ber of these schools could usc a good kick in the pants, a significant number of them already meet the most crucial Sate Course criteria while omitting superfluous things like “classroom” study —~ a training aspect for which there is very little consumer demand and of dubious benc-

-fit at any rate.

Worse, many smaller oper- ations, while maintaining excellent training standards aren’t necessarily in a financial position to procure classroom space let alone staff it. It has been said that some sort of small-guy consortium will be developed in an effort to share the classroom burden — which sounds ideal and

“

ving schools? #@

therefore wrought with prob- tems, like throat cutting.

Keep in mind that the small-guy-school must not only buck up, it must also spoil at Jeast a week’s worth of revenue while enduring the Sate Course class. So much for the little guy.

As far as the Iving, cheat- ‘<= ing, bonchead driving schools go, there’s really nothing to be done about them. Though some may be pulped in the same way that a few smaller- and- good schools are bound to be, the nefarious will

always be there whether cloaked in the accreditation or not.

Taking the good with the bad, the safe course described is a mighty hammer and sure- yv areliefto the 10% ofa few of you who could care less.

It’s also a fine way of employing a few more ” bureaucrats in the guise of driving school inspectors. It’s alse another way of generat- ing revenue as schools pay to prove their worth.

Driving school aceredita- tion is a fine method for : ensuring better standards for the 10% of a tew consumers who care.

It’s a fairly safe bet that . 10% of new drivers will truly learn to be safe.

LORDCO [spring Tune-Up i 8

We've got the parts & the Special - service you need,

a AT PRICES YOU CAN AFFORD.

CONVENIENT HOURS | Mon-Fri 7:30am - 8pm

Sat 8am - 6pm, Sun 9am - Spm | ; . Tune-up ° Oil, lube & fitter © 4 wheel brake check |’:

« Suspension » Electrical ¢ Check cooling systems & Allt inquiries Car Care Products heating © Rovate sizes © Check all belts, hoses & fluids. on Sale this week

Sees? * Regency Plymouth 984-0277

Chrysler Jeep Inc. 1451 Fell Ave., N. Van

FAYLORMOTIVE £ SEAVICE LTO. ALIGNMENT SPECIALISTS BCAA and ARA approved . Alignment, Frame & Complete Suspension . : Repairs. ‘=.: . LAR. Trained Techs - Unibody ‘Trained - . Same owner since 1959 Customer Satisfaction Built Us ...

WE CARE! Nonh Vanes 985-7455

_ : plus pasts, most er the rear or the front Cheater echt of the car is visible, making parking somewhat of a guess- ig game:

Stindard equipment on

$26,915 Concorde LX cludes the. 2.7-litre V6

ine and four-speed auto-

iati¢ transmission, air-condi- oning, AM/FM cassette ayer, dual airbags, power indows, power door locks with remote keyless entry and panic alarm, power mir: rors; power driver's seat, cruise control, tilt stecring heel, inzeemitrent wipers, center console /arnirest, front and rear cupholders, 4-wieel disc brakes, and 205/70R- 5 inch tires.

“The uplevel Concorde LXi, $31,015, adds the 3.2- lire V6 engine, leather

pholstery, power driver and passenger seats, auromatic

emperature. control, premi- um sterco, Compass, “outside temperature gauge, trip com- puter, Homelink program- mable garage door opener, vehicle alarm, anti-lock brakes, low-speed traction

ntol, and bigger

225/60R-16 inch tires.

Though the new ‘Conéorde is not as big a ap forward as the original . Concorde was in 1993, it offers a level of interior oominess and handling

at’s tops in. its class, and a represents good value compared feature for

28 years on the North Shore! Father & Son business where you

can talk to the German mechanics who work on your car.

Watter Jr, Walter Sr.

987-3133 980-2501

1177 Marine Dr, North Van

1590 Pemberton Ave. North Vancouver

Inckides> Up to 5 titers Castrol 10w30 aii, Fram oil filter, check ait fights, bells & hases, rotate tires and set tire pressure Most cats & light trucks. fis Ea OPEN 7 DAYS! , peer: 675 Marine Dr. AR West Van 921-3304

Keep Your Car in Showroom Shape!

“WW SPECIALIST |:

Parts Manager

Al Aoki

‘BODY SHOP. "The very best quality work at prices anyone

can afford. Euro

': BRAKE & CLUTCH

ASEPEREORMANCE ”

25 years with Wetmore

Drivers wanted. ‘@

Centennial ‘Auto Body ICBC & Private Claims | 990-9931 980-8200

Open 9-5:30 Mon.-Sat. 12-4 Sun North Vancouver #4-262 E Esplanade, N. Van

a 150 Pemberion Ave.. N.V. 986- Tt