Fla. must do better at testing drivers
I agree with May 3 letter-writer Loy E. Bates III. Driving tests don’t adequately reflect the real-life conditions and hazards that drivers encounter daily on Central Florida roadways. That’s a problem, because it means we aren’t preparing drivers, especially young ones, as best we can.
Last year my office administered 27,000 road tests. That’s about 100 each day. We call them road tests, but they don’t take place on the interstate. Instead, would-be drivers practice their three-point-turns, quick stops and signal-and-turns in the parking lot.
Bates states that road tests should include highway driving, high-speed merging, in-city high-traffic situations and bad-weather driving. A trip on Interstate 4 during the rainy season would work, but we don’t have the resources or the time to conduct driving tests in such a manner. Also, such real-world tests could be dangerous for drivers, our employees and the public.
With simulated driving exams, we could test a driver’s skill level in any imaginable scenario: traffic jams, thunderstorms, alongside cyclists, you name it. Unfortunately, the state won’t recognize simulated tests, and that needs to change. In addition to better, real-life tests, bringing simulation to our office means we’d be able to take employees out of the parking lot and onto the front lines to serve more customers.
That’s why I’m asking the state of Florida to start a simulation pilot program right here in Orange County. With Orlando striving to become the simulation capital of the country, it makes perfect sense to do it here.
Scott Randolph Orange County tax collector
