To think that too many people are in denial that they should not drive?

We had to take FILs keys away and sell his car at age 72. He had early-onset Alzheimer's and wasn't safe.

After a couple of weeks he forgot that he had a car and was happy enough to b driven around by dh or his partner who is in her 70s but no cognitive issues.

My FIL is almost 80 and like that. He already had an accident pressing gas instead of brakes and trying to blame it on the car. He often gives lifts to SIL and the horror stories she’s told me….

My parents both drove long after we told them to stop. Mum's optician told her to stop driving --- idiot Mother changed her optician. Dad, hit a traffic island - the police told him (like Prince Philip) surrender your license OR we will prosecute. (Good for them) Both parents are long dead now.
I'm 69, I've told my kids to tell me when they no longer feel safe with me - they definitely will. My daughter says she doesn't feel safe with her dad (my ex) but he won't listen but she still feels safe with me. So, I feel confident to carry on for now but will stop as and when they (mostly she) no longer feels safe (or before if I feel unsafe)
Not sure about age related driving tests though because people don't decline at the same rate. Some become unsafe much earlier than others. Maybe some sort of easily administered reaction test (from about 50), a score below 'x' means you have to take a test

I agree too, and it's not just about eyesight, but about reaction time and many other things.

My mum was terrible as she got older. She rarely signalled, had poor road positioning, went through red lights more than once. As a passenger in my car, she'd tell me to stop at junctions where I had priority, because she had read the road wrong. I said I thought she should stop driving (the family had discussed it and I had been nominated to tell her - thanks everyone!) but she wouldn't. I tried to buy her some advanced driving lessons but she refused that too.

My DH is nearly 70 and had a stroke two years ago. He now has mild cognitive impairment. He can drive perfectly well but he always asks me if I feel confident about his driving and at the moment I do. He knows that I will tell him if that changes.

Although I would be prepared to report him if he didn't listen to me.

If you really want to stop elderly people driving, start voting for governments who prioritise public transport, use it yourself whenever you can, and let's try to make a public transport system that actually works.

I won't say how I have this information but I know personally at least two HGV drivers who are alcoholic, and have admitted to driving in black out, waking up in a lay-by with no idea where they are. It's a lonely, isolating job.

I'm using this post as a reminder to everyone to really be alert on the road. You don't know how many other road users are pissed/part sighted or basically incompetent.

Reporting alcoholics is hopeless, because it requires the driver returning a self reported form to the DVSA on their alcohol consumption.

'Yes, it's a shame that Onomatofear Sr took out that entire Reception class on their candlelit walk to the local church for their first Nativity, but you have to remember that his daughter couldn't report him for being a liability because it might have cost her an inheritance compared to him dying when driving. At least this way, she gets her money sooner rather than having to wait for her Mum to die as well'. Doesn't read very well, does it?

That is a crappy excuse, OP, with the potential for tragedy on a massive scale.

You're not a little, helpless child, you're a fully grown woman and a mother yourself. In any case, whatever gives you the slightest idea that he's going to leave you a single penny and hasn't already made arrangements for it to go anywhere but in your pocket? He's clearly a dickhead, why would he let you have it? And what's to say that he won't end up in a home and it'll all go on care anyhow?

I'm quite looking forward to having the excuse to hang my keys up and feel guilt free using taxis instead.

The argument I hear a lot about this is 'well the young drive fast and recklessly. So why penalise the older generation?!' My thoughts are....obv it's not ok for the young to be a menace on the road, but that's NOT a justification for people with health conditions, age, failing eyesight etc to use it as a reason. Those conditions wont get better. And we can't legislate against stupidity, unfortunately. But the reckless and young can grow and learn. We took my DP's car keys off him when he kept mounting the pavement. He was outraged. But he didn't even know he was doing it. It was and still is the right decision.

because the busses around here are shite

@Shitandrun you can report anonymously on the DVLA website.

What if your dad runs over and kills another mother looking after their disabled children? It's not just about you. I always make sure to cross the road when all the cars have properly stopped. I've heard of old people driving through red lights. If an elderly driver killed your child because their family wanted inheritance, how would you feel?

Let's stop older people driving when they are no longer safe or capable. No issue with this. So how do we stop young people with arrogant driving habits who are killing themselves and others everyday? And the midde aged drivers who are so unsafe on motorways because they never use them from one month to the next that they don't know what lane to use or how fast to drive?

In other words, the standard of driving, and the attitude to driving is so poor in this country that the teaching, the testing, and the use of regular retesting all needs to be (re)thought through.

If (when) I run the country I'd put speed limiters on every public service vehicle, taxi and white van, that would automatically police much of the bad driving in towns, then get a rolling retest for everyone with a licence more than five years old. God, I'd be the most popular PM for years.

Sorry folks, you find me on my personal soapbox!

People don't judge people in their 80s for not being able to drive.

I also don't think people who can't drive for medical reasons get judged anywhere near as much. DH can't drive for medical reasons and it barely gets a comment, let alone judgement.

Yes. My MIL still thinks she can drive despite having a stroke, cognitive impairment and writing off her car. She doesn't, because no car.

But if she did get one I would absolutely report to the DVLA. She'd be cross but that's better than killing someone.

After today on the M8 - absolutely. Not old people just absolute eedjits. No lane control, middle lane hoggers, no working indicators, no concept of the speed limit. In short, Muppets.

People who can't drive get really judged in my experience. Like there's something wrong with you or you're lazy or whatever. You see it on here constantly. The pressure to drive is immense.

I knew a woman in her mid 20s who took her driving test 7 times. After the 5th she lied and told people she had passed. She absolutely shouldn't be driving, she's simultaneously scatty and incredibly anxious behind a wheel, but "has" to drive, apparently.

DF's GP refused to report him to the DVLA when I took him to an appointment to start investigations for dementia. Evaluation at the memory clinic confirmed his dementia and lack of spatial awareness making him unsafe to drive but even though they suggested he no longer drove they wouldn't report him. Apparently you have to self report medical conditions (!) and personal pride and independence made this tricky for him to accept. So when his licence came up for renewal the following week I filled in the form for him and wrote to the DVLA about his diagnosis and asked them to rescind his licence. Which they did and so he blamed them, not me.
I got him an account with local taxi firm so he had what we described as his personal "driver" which eased the pain a little.

A man in our town was mown down and killed by someone who fainted at the wheel after forgetting to take her daily meds so am very aware of the danger of medical conditions affecting driving.

I didn't realise you could report elderly people for this if they hadn't had an accident. I have an elderly client that can barely walk, severe arthritis in their wrists and hands, and mental confusion that often results in a tantrum when doing simple things like making a cup of tea. They will jump behind the wheel of a car and it's really worried me as they are definitely not safe to do so.

Could you contact his GP and ask them to make the report? My friends 4 year old niece was killed by a 92 year old driver who didn't see her. He is up in court shortly. My friends family are beyond devastated but I also cannot imagine that anyone would want their elderly parents final years to be spent dealing with the aftermath of them killing a child.

So my grandad was in his mid 80s and his health was declining but my grandma didn't drive and she couldn't walk to the hairdresser's and neither could carry the shopping home. He was a very proud man, worked hard, helped raise 4 kids, numerous grandkids, very much the patriarch of the family. The idea that one of his kids would need to look after him was unthinkable. When their health was struggling, he wanted to be able to look after my grandma, get her to drs apps and hospital apps when needed, help her enjoy her winter years.
He wouldn't even entertain a talk about his car. It was a lifeline for them. It was a very sad day when my uncle came and took it off him and they reported him. He was heartbroken and furious. The realisation that he was, in fact, no longer able, could no longer take care of others (in his mind) nearly killed him.

I fully understand why people are reluctant to stop driving, they never believe they'll cause an accident or hurt people.
But it's inevitable