To think ROSPA should make it clear that Older Driver Assessments might result in a loss of license?

I used to do home assessments with patients and it was never a question of pass/fail. It was always about identifying the gaps between what the patient could do and what they needed to do to return home to live...then we would discuss how to bridge the gaps. Sometimes there was no way to do this and the outcome was that the patient did need to go to residential care or supported living but it was never a case of "you have failed therefore"

I think you are right. I did used to come accross situations where relatives would tell me what I had told a patient and chinese whispers was not in it! (am I still allowed to say "chinese whispers"?)

Like the care assistant driving on the wrong side of the road who crashed into us

Your relative hasn't been "tricked into giving up their license by stealth" and it's a shame that he feels that way. He's had his license taken away for a reason.

Hesitation is a recognised cause of accidents and I would assume that since he failed the test, it was considered to be at a level that wouldn't respond to further training.

He should be relieved that this was found out before he caused injury to himself and/or someone else.

Perhaps they would be more likely to admit it if our public transport was better

Yes, it's really frustrating and scary, trying to get them to see sense if you've ever tried to too?

I don’t understand how you can be “assessed” and not understand you might fail??? I think your relative is reeling a bit because it’s a blow he really wasn’t expecting. The reality is his Dr assessed him and suggested that rather than blithely carrying on driving he really should be assessed. The assessment showed what the Dr thought might be possible. He isn’t as safe driving as he thought. This isn’t “tricking” anyone. This is very comprehensive care. The GP may have saved his life, as did the assessor and your relative by doing EXACTLY what they should.

@godmum56 That was my exact thought and why I asked who 'they' were who removed the licence. I didn't think RoSPA would have the power to do this so I suspected we hadn't been told the whole story.

especially when there’s people arguing how unfair it is on the unsafe drivers!

Two years ago this week we were crashed into by someone driving on the wrong side of the road. My friend who had to swerve to aviod her is the same person i mentioned upthread. He swerved in time so she crashed into the back passenger door behind me instead of the front passenger door where i was sitting in the front passenger seat. A young care assistant on the way to her next client

I know people who are definitely unfit to drive but they refuse to admit it. It's frightening when you know they are out on the roads.

I am really confused about this. RoSPA can't remove licences. They have no more right to contact the DVLA than any other member of the public. Did he take it at a Driving Mobility Centre because there might have been an appropriate clinician there who does have a duty to contact DVLA but should have told him. With respect, were you in the room when he spoke to the doctor? have you seen the letter from the DVLA revoking his licence and does it give a reason why? I know a little bit about driver assessment, I used to suggest it to patients if they were asking me about driving after illness or injury or if they had things like arthritis, also my late husband used to volunteer assess for RoSPA but not the older drivers scheme. This feels like a slightly gappy story.

I think all drivers should be fit to drive and should know and be able to prove that they are fit to drive. It's a shame we don't have to prove it more often.

So they took the licence away? Or did they inform DVLA that the driving wasn't safe and DVLA took it away? Because DVLA are the main folk will only take away if severe, I doubt being hesitant would be severe enough.

We tried to get FIL's licence taken away when he became dangerous. He got rather defensive and mean when we asked him to stop. Asked his GP to inform DVLA on the quiet, we informed DVLA on the quiet. Nothing happened.

A friend of mine was in an accident a while back where an elderly driver turned the wrong way on a dual carriageway slip road and drove straight into oncoming fast traffic. Miracles no one was killed though several cars written off.
About a year later on the same road, an elderly driver and his wife were killed when he just went straight over the roundabout at speed without breaking at all, no skid marks anywhere till the car hit the ground the other side.
So I’d be keen on older drivers taking proper retesting regularly!

Rather than offering the "re-training" mentioned in the leaflet, they removed his license

I'm confused, @sprucinitup - I didn't think RoSPA could remove a licence, though I believe they can ask the DVLA to do it

Is this what you mean they did?

I actually wouldn't, because I've seen that the Institute of advanced driving does them (also for young drivers) and I thought that it was advisory - and in fact might actually reassure someone that their driving is good.

See here: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/courses-services/for-individuals/mature-driver-review/

I quote "They’ll help boost your confidence behind the wheel and suggest further training if needed."

If a GP thinks someone is unfit to drive, they should be reporting the person to the DVLA. As should opticians. No need for underhand assessments.

By the law of averages the elderly are more likely to have medical problems which mean they are not safe to drive.

But there are plenty of younger people without medical problems who are not safe to drive, either. Unfortunately the driving test can't weed out people who simply drive dangerously for fun or because they think it's cool to take drugs.

I have looked at the website and I can't see any reference to losing your licence. I do think it's underhand and it isn't appropriate to trick people. In all other contexts, if you are being tested, you know that there's a possibility that you will not pass and be able to continue (eg if you have a DVLA eye test, there's always a chance they will say your eyesight isn't good enough).

I didn't know that ROSPA could revoke licences? I assume what is actually meant is that they tell the DVLA that the person isn't fit to drive.

I’m surprised these tests are optional.

And to be honest, if a Dr told me I should go for a driving “assessment” I would assume there was a possibility that I could lose my licence due to being assessed as not fit to drive.

This, are posters really saying it’s unfair that people who have failed a fitness to drive assessment shouldn’t have their license revoked as it’s mean?!! wtf!
have any of you seen the incident where an unfit driver killed a toddler and the response was “whoopsie she shouldn’t have been driving”… https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx252v6l60lo
this elderly driver had even cancelled her insurance as she didn’t want to pay it.

Eh? I think it's more of a safety thing why older people should have mandatory testing as opposed to those under 66. It's well known that governments prefer to appease older people because they're most likely to vote, hence the OP's point about political backlash if drivers aged 75+ thought they might have their licence removed against their wishes.

And I agree with this.

When my grandmother had an inoperable brain tumour she was told she couldn't drive. We had an absolutely hair-raising few days while she claimed she'd been advised she 'might' want to stop 'at some point'. To be fair, it was her GP who actually convinced her. I don't know what he said but he was great, and she came away from an appointment with him fully aware it was important - but she definitely hadn't got the message the first time around!

I think it's a pity he felt tricked. But I do think if someone isn't able to understand that an assessment was going to assess his fitness to drive, then honestly, he shouldn't be driving.

I remember when I was a teenager there was a GP who was well known for his 'caring' and lenient attitude towards the elderly; it was a standing joke that he'd cautioned the granddad of one of my friends that he could keep his licence to pootle down the hill to the local shop in the village, but absolutely must not attempt to drive on the dual carriageway, because he wasn't safe to do so.

Everyone talked a lot about how thoughtful that was, and how he'd saved an older man's dignity.

Looking back it was bloody stupid and irresponsible.

The outcome would have been the same regardless, and we're talking about the safety of this person and everyone else on the roads, not some trivial matters, so I think it's pretty unreasonable to be focusing on feeling 'tricked' somehow.
I also think, regardless of whether the advice and guidance could or should be clearer, that it seems pretty obvious that a loss of licence could be a potential outcome of any assessment.