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Portage la Prairie families looking to enroll in Manitoba Public Insurance’s (MPI) popular Driver Z program can now register.
Tara Seel, Media and Public Relations Lead with MPI, says planning ahead will help families secure one of the coveted fall spots.
“We were really encouraging parents and their children to do the first two steps, which is getting the child set up as a customer of MPI because at that point we need to verify identity,” Seel notes. “The second part of that is actually purchasing the Driver Z program.”
By completing those steps ahead of time at an MPI Service Centre or Autopac broker, Seel says the registration process will be much smoother.
“We didn't have to slow down the registration process by verifying documents and completing financial transactions,” she continues. “When those were set up, then they could just call in, visit a broker, visit a service centre and register for Driver’s Ed.”
Seel notes as of Thursday morning, spots were still available for Portage and MacGregor.
Confidence behind the wheel
The Driver Z program includes online e-lessons, virtual or in-person classroom sessions, and in-car training with a certified instructor.
Seel says the combination of instruction types is designed to help young drivers stay safe and develop confidence.
“The e-lessons, the in-class portion and in some cases the classes are offered virtually; that part of the program is super important because the new drivers need to know the rules of the road,” she remarks.
“When it really comes to building their confidence, it’s the in-car portion of the Driver’s Ed program that’s so important. Getting that time with a trained driving instructor where you’re in a safe environment, being coached, it really does help build your confidence as a new driver.”
Rural demand drives seat increase
With demand consistently outpacing supply in rural Manitoba, MPI is expanding fall capacity across the province.
Seel says it’s a direct response to feedback from parents and students.
“We recognize that there’s a really high demand for this program and we get it, and we get the frustration that parents and their kids have been feeling not being able to get into the program,” she says.
Seats available outside of Winnipeg have been boosted significantly this year, but Seel stresses that more instructors are needed in communities like Portage to keep up with interest.
“If we don’t have driving instructors in those communities, we can’t offer those courses,” she adds. “MPI would willingly offer as many courses as necessary to get every child into Driver’s Ed, but we need the instructors to do that.”
Seel encourages anyone interested in becoming a Driver Z instructor in the Portage area to contact MPI or visit their website at mpi.mb.ca.
“It really does take a community to make this program work,” she says. “If we have those instructors in the community, we will offer enough seats for everybody.”
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