Should drivers over 70 be retested

[Tashyboy]

There is a story on the BBC Site asking if drivers over 70 should be retested.
A guy who is now a widow has started up a petition because his wife was killed by an 85 yr old driver who mistook the accelerator for the brake. At the mo 130,000 have signed the petition.

So quite simple, should drivers over 70 be retested.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Yep,I quite often see older drivers that obviously shouldn't be driving.

 

[drdel]

Just wait until you're 69, fit and healthy ! The statistics don't support the argument

How often will they get tested ? every year, every 5 years ?

Not enough testers/facilities

 

[Waitforme]

Yes but it'll never happen , what party would try and bring that in ? Vote loser for sure.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Just wait until you're 69, fit and healthy ! The statistics don't support the argument

How often will they get tested ? every year, every 5 years ?

Not enough testers/facilities

Just ban them then.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I would say so. See so many OAP drivers that drive way too slow and are as dangerous as a result. Many struggle to follow simple road instructions. There again plenty of other age groups who have poor drivers. However I think 70 is a reasonable age to test again

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Nope......to make the roads safer you would be better off testing the 18 year olds every year for seven years.
Statistics prove this.

My 85 year old MIL has just passed her 'fit to drive' test with flying colours.

 

[Tiger man]

I don't think their should be a retest because that could seriously impact their standard of life, however I think their should be at least a compulsory refresher course to bring them up to scratch

 

[Pin-seeker]

Nope......to make the roads safer you would be better off testing the 18 year olds every year for seven years.
Statistics prove this.

My 85 year old MIL has just passed her 'fit to drive' test with flying colours.

If they pass the test at 17 I'm sure they'll be able to pass it again at 18,19,20......
Still won't stop some of them driving like idiots in between tests.

 

[Tashyboy]

Reading this earlier and as much as I sympathise with the guys loss of his wife. The driver was over 80. So don't know why the 70 age was put forward.
Just had a heated discussion with my lad who is a Class1 Lorry driver who said he has to have a medical at 65? That's not the point a medical is differant to a re test, and has been proved in the case of the Dustbin driver in Glasgow, Medicals are easy to cheat on.
Re re testing at 70, it has been proven that car insurance is high because of younger drivers. So do we retest them. Spending kills more than elderly drivers?
Think I have more of an issue with younger drivers than older drivers at the moment.

 

[Odvan]

I've been sat in a car with a 73yo driver who nearly wiped out 3 generations of his own family purely down to speed awareness, road awareness and poor reaction time.

Ask him to hang a door, lay cement or fit a kitchen - no problem, he was as fit as a fiddle at the time.

Definite retest for me at 75, or at least an 'assessment' whereby compulsory sessions may or may not be applicable from. If, like DFTs MIL, they're' fit and switched on enough to continue at an older age (and fair play!) , then the old folk have nowt to worry about, have they.

And if the kids want their insurance to come down then they'd be happy to be retested or drive with a black box but that wasn't the question.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Yes, yes and yes.

 

[garyinderry]

Ban kids from driving for 5 years if caught excessively speeding or driving dangerously. tighten them.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Yes people should be retested at some stage

 

[Imurg]

Every driver should be retested/reassessed every 10 years in my opinion.
The tools are partly in place.
Make the Photocard licence compulsory - there can't be that many who still have just the old paper one and its not a big deal to make the change
These need to be renewed every 10 years
6 months prior to the licence expiring, send out a reminder and included a form.
Some kind of retest/reassessment needs to be carried out and the form duly signed by the Authorised assessor.
Send off form for renewal - no form=no renewal=no licence

I put that to the Chief Exec of the Driving Standards Agency 7 years ago.
Their reply?

Can't do it as it would cost too much and put too many people off the road. I can understand the first part but I couldn't see a problem with the second part

The will to do it simply isn't there.
What we do isn't sufficient. And it won't change.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Ban kids from driving for 5 years if caught excessively speeding or driving dangerously. tighten them.

Why not ban anyone if caught speeding excessively or dangerously?

 

[garyinderry]

The thing is, you won't be able to catch elderly people's mind wanders during a half hour test when they hit their 70's.


Most will pass a driving ability test just fine. also, hoe many of us would pass an actual driving test tomorrow? so many little bad habits that would fail a test in there but perfectly safe driving.

 

[garyinderry]

Why not ban anyone if caught speeding excessively or dangerously?

Why not? fine by me. I got three points now drive like a granny. I've learnt my lesson. Many others don't seem to get the message.

 

[dewsweeper]

Just ban them thn.

Why stop there!
Shoot all us old beggars and be done with it, will also cure slow play issues.!!!!
As 76 year old I actually agree we should be re-tested.

Dewsweeper

 

[williamalex1]

As a 69 year old I don't have a problem in having a compulsory a driving retest at 70.
My driving is fine, but i'm afraid my bunker and fairway wood shots would fail.