Canada's worst driver
Each of the eight drivers had his or her own reason for being there; not all were generically incompetent drivers. Here are the contestants from the first season:
Madalena Phillips
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Madalena Phillips, 21 and licensed for 5 years, from Toronto, Ontario, had been in well over 30 accidents as well as innumerable incidents she called "bumps" when there were no witnesses. Her parents still had paid for her car insurance, over $9,000 per year. Her irresponsible driving was largely due to a complete lack of concern about anything except shopping, partying, and fashion. She was by and large an incompetent driver by choice, and considered it part of her lifestyle. Madalena was nominated by her friend, Jennifer. She drives a black Pontiac Sunfire GT.
Bob Coad
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Bob Coad, 36 and licensed for 20 years, from Guelph, Ontario, was an otherwise excellent driver, except for a tendency towards road rage and a little freeway game he called bumper tag. This involved passing cars that he was annoyed at and suddenly slamming on his brakes in front of them, forcing them to panic brake to avoid a collision. Bob was nominated by his buddy, Rob. He drives a red Chevrolet Lumina.
Chris Ferguson
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Chris Ferguson, 31 and licensed for 13 years, from Malton, Ontario), was totally inexperienced behind the wheel, having driven only five times since getting his license. He was insecure, and very slow while driving, creating a hazard on the road. Chris was nominated by his wife, Michelle Ferguson. He drives a black Mitsubishi Lancer and drove a Chevrolet Cobalt to the rehab centre.
David Chau
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David Chau, 24 and licensed for 5 years, from Toronto, Ontario, attributed his driving problems to being "unlucky" and refused to take responsibility for his incompetence on the road. His driving errors during the program often completely destroyed the cars used for the show. He would listen to, and then blame, his passengers for bad driving advice. David was nominated by his buddy, George. He drives a red Chrysler Intrepid and drove a Mitsubishi Lancer to the rehab centre.
Faith Ann Stone
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Faith Ann Stone, 30 and licensed for 14 years, from Niagara Falls, Ontario, had been in 37 reported accidents. She was reckless and drove far too fast, in spite of having been laid-up for 6 months by a collision 2 years previously. She was independently nominated by 4 different people to be on the show. Her issues largely arose from lack of proper driving instruction and her cavalier attitude towards driving. Faith Ann's co-worker, Joanne, represented herself and the three other people who nominated Faith Ann. She drives a silver 2005 Jeep Liberty.
Heather Reynolds
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Heather Reynolds, 59 and licensed 30 years, from Medicine Hat, Alberta, had written off 10 cars in 20 years. During the series, it was discovered that most of her troubles were caused by not having a proper prescription for her glasses. Like Chris, she was not reckless, but dangerously slow due to lack of confidence in her driving. Heather was nominated by her husband, Ernie. She drives a beige Chevrolet Venture and drove a blue Chevrolet Epica to the rehab centre.
Manuel Tejeda
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Manuel Tejeda, 36 and licensed for 6 years, from Calgary, Alberta, had difficulties with over-thinking everything he did while driving until it was too late. He also had a problem with his temper, causing him to lose control when he failed during driving lessons. Manuel was nominated by his co-worker Alex. He drives a silver Nissan Altima and drove a red Chevrolet Impala to the rehab centre.
Tatiana Rheaume
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Tatiana Rheaume, 42 and 22 years licensed, from Ajax, Ontario, was involved in a serious car accident that turned a competent driver into a paranoid wreck behind the wheel. She drove hazardously slow on freeways and refused to make left turns, which were involved in her car accident, often dangerously bunching up traffic and driving in the wrong lane. Tatiana was nominated by her mother-in-law, Beth. She drives a black Mazda Protege and drove a red Chevrolet Cavalier to the rehab centre.
Experts
It was the job of the experts to evaluate the drivers, help give instruction and counseling, and ultimately judge how well the drivers did or did not improve. The experts consisted of the following individuals:
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Kelly Williams was a Canadian CASCAR driver and the only female to win a race in that series. She has also been the spokesperson for "Be Car Care Aware", an auto safety organization.
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Jim Kenzie is an automotive journalist and president of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada. He also reviews vehicles for the Toronto Star newspaper. Since 1988, he also has an editorial-like segment on TSN's "Motoring" program. It is now in its 20th season. He wrote the textbook for advanced driver training used by the Toronto Police Service and other advanced training classes, and is widely recognized as a vehicle expert.
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Scott Marshall was the Director of Training for Young Drivers of Canada. His job was to train the instructors who train drivers.
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Dr. Uzma Rehman was a behavioural psychologist and a member of the faculty at Queen's University.
Written and presented by Andrew Younghusband
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