To wonder how on earth they will sentence a 96 year old?!

I agree. I think the pass rate for people taking their test after years of driving (with no lessons) would be shocking.

Beside the basics of driving, lessons teach you how to pass a test.... and how you drive during a test is not how people drive in reality.

Does anyone really put the handbrake on whenever a pedestrian passes you on the path when you are trying to parallel park? Or when a car passes?

Do you have any statistics to back up your belief that 50% of over 70 year olds would fail?

The woman in question lived in Merseyside. She is entitled to free bus and train travel in the region. There are public transport stops all over the place and everything has level boarding. Why would she need ferrying anywhere?

As it happens, I won't be ferrying anyone. I don't use a car myself any more (because the things are bad for the environment, bad for society, and bad for my bank balance) and my parents have started their retirement by moving to a bungalow 300m from a railway station and a bus stop, 600m from a doctor, and 800m from a Co-Op.

Not an option for everyone, granted, but my grandparents (who retired to rural Ireland) used to have a weekly taxi trip so there are alternatives. Driving when you're no longer competent should never be an option, no matter how inconvenient it may be to stop. There are lives at stake, and this is hardly an isolated case. I reserve the same scorn for the use of the "hardship" excuse to get out of losing one's licence when someone has been caught speeding enough times to rack up 12 points or more.

You’re probably right so why would people over 70 be singled out?

If the majority of us went to sit todays driving test we would likely fail. Just on the driving habits we get into after passing countless years ago.

What do you base your assertion that 50% of people over 70 wouldn’t pass a driving test on? Where’s the evidence?

She'll likely be dead by the time the ban is over at least. I don't think prisons are equipped for elder care and are already ridiculously overcrowded. It's highly unlikely she'll reoffend too.

You've completely twisted what I said - I believe 50% of over 70 year old would fail a test
I didn't suggest that the minute you get to 70 half the population should be banned from driving without a very valid reason - failing a driving simulation test

If you kill someone with your car by crashing, should you be driving again? regardless of age why is it that licences aren't taken away for life, many crashes with drivers seems to be the 2/3 court case and yet they still don't just take away the licence - they allow them to get it back and do it again

Oh wow, that was a shocking read. What a terrible thing to happen to a young family.

Oops, I meant to post a comment as well as the link. It is a raw and harrowing account for anyone needs a way of broaching the subject of stopping driving with relatives; the author makes it clear that you are welcome to share his writing in the hope that it saves another family from the pain and trauma. Apologies if it has already been shared, I haven't read the full thread.

https://lifeasawidower.com/blog/2014/12/22/tell-them

Sorry obviously you already knew.

Suspended sentence, 5 year driving ban and a fine.

The husband of the deceased did not want her prosecuted.

I think her guesswork is out - it comes across as her wanting people off the roads when they get to a certain age regardless of their ability.

It all depends on the individual. As I said in another post, DH is 70. He's probably a better driver than me to be honest and I'm 49! My uncle's mind and eyesight are both fine and he's sensible about when and where he drives. His partner on the other hand stopped driving long before she got to 89 as she was no longer confident and he supported that.

Only because she thinks they'd fail the test though. Which may or may not be true. But if they DO fail then surely they shouldn't be driving?
FWIW I don't reckon half of 70 year olds would fail. Maybe half of 80 year olds though. And I can't imagine many in their 90's would pass at all.

True.

You can have a brain tumour at any age.

That's a different scenario to what the previous poster is suggesting though. She seems to think that the minute they get to 70 half the population shouldn't be allowed to drive.

I needed a lift somewhere and put it on the local social media site. It was answered by a man who said he was 82, and as I didn't want to disappoint, I got in the car. It wasn't very far.

Then he told me all about his brain tumour.

I can’t see the problem when the effect is exactly the same. However long the ban was she’s never going to drive again - which is pretty much the point. Any ban is meaningless when someone has voluntarily surrendered their license.

The ban isn’t that dissimilar from other people that have caused death by dangerous driving. When I used to work with road death civil litigation cases bans over 7 years weren’t very common.

I wouldn't want to go out with a young idiot driver or an 89yo driver.

My mom lives in a retirement town and the entire island knows how awful the drivers are there. My 75 year old mom even complains about it!

It seems unnecessarily lenient though imo, why not have the same sentence as most convicted people in this situation? Her age shouldn’t come into it.

DH is 70, my uncle is 89, I'd rather go out with either of them than some of the idiot young drivers around here. I presume you don't think anyone should have to go out with them either or do your 'standards' only apply to older drivers?