ICBC suspends all driver road tests, undertakes additional precautionary measures

March 17, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia, ICBC is taking a number of measures to protect the health and safety of its customers, partners and employees. These measures include suspending all driver road tests effective today, March 17, 2020, in line with public health recommendations around social distancing.

All motorcycle, passenger, and commercial road tests are cancelled until further notice. ICBC will reassess the situation in two weeks, taking into account public health recommendations and other operational considerations at that time.

All impacted customers scheduled to take road tests over the next week are being notified by ICBC that their appointment has been cancelled. ICBC will do its best to accommodate those impacted in rescheduling once ICBC returns to full operations.

ICBC undertakes approximately 7,500 road tests a week across the province. The tests, in most cases, involve ICBC driver examiners conducting a driving examination in an individual's vehicle, in addition to some interaction at the Driver Licensing Office front counter. The cancellation of all road tests for the next two weeks impacts approximately 15,000 road tests.

Customers with scheduled road tests are encouraged to visit icbc.com for more informati​on or call ICBC's driver licensing information line. 

Other precautionary measures ICBC is taking to ensure the health and safety of our customers and staff include:

At all ICBC offices:

• Continuing to direct any customers who are sick or have travelled outside Canada (in the last 14 days) not to enter any of our offices, and turning away customers if needed

• Requesting people to pay traffic tickets or other fines via phone or mail, not in person

• Limiting the number of customers in office waiting areas

• Increasing cleaning and sanitization in all our facilities and offices

At Driver Licensing Offices:

• Asking COVID-19 screening questions

At claims centres:

• Restricting appointments and drop-in visits to urgent transactions only

At head office:

• Suspending walk-in service for vehicle insurance customers

ICBC continues to review our operations as the situation evolves to support the safety of our customers and employees, including reviewing of opportunities in which brokers can issue and renew insurance policies over the phone.  More information will be provided on any changes to our operations as soon as possible.

ICBC is committed to following the recommendations from federal and provincial public health agencies in consultation with government. Please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control website (bccdc.ca) for more information on COVID-19 including preventative measures and when to seek medical attention.