STEINBACH, Man. — A grieving mother is questioning why gravel road driving isn’t part of Driver’s Education in Manitoba.
Lisa Boyd’s 16-year-old son, Tyler Klassen, was killed in a car crash on a gravel road on Saturday. He died just three days after getting his license.
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His family and friends are wondering why gravel road training wasn’t a mandatory part of his Driver’s Education course from Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI). Tyler’s mom said the rural area they live in in St. Anne, they’re surrounded by gravel roads.
Gravel road driving is part of the MPI Driver’s Manual and in-class education. But a spokesperson told Global News they try to cover gravel driving as much as possible after covering essentials, like highway driving. However, it isn’t mandatory in the training.
Tyler’s mom said she did try to teach her son to drive on gravel roads. But, she said her family will be pushing to see changes in what’s mandatory for students learning to drive, especially for those living in rural Manitoba.