It should be mandatory to retake a driving test again age 70 and every five years after that

If someone lives in a place where driving is a "lifeline" and can't get taxis then they need to move no matter how difficult it is. Their life may depend on it. They could lose their licence at any time.

Eye / medical tests should be sufficient.

they do tend to hurt themselves more than others

Is true of the elderly who have accidents and young men alike.

You are misunderstanding what I have written.

I am saying that you can't, carte blanche say all 70 year olds much resit their driving test before being allowed to drive. Its a protected characteristic and its unlawful/unfair. On the same grounds you can't say 18-25yrs old have to resit their test either unless there are mitigating circumstances.

What you can do is say that on medical grounds, once they get to 70 if they can prove my certificate from an opticians and GP that they are still OK to drive, they do not do the test. If there is any doubt from what the GP or opticians report then they go an an assessment centre.

Lots of people don't pass first time. Many of us, if required to take another test, would fail. It would therefore be unfair to take away someone's licence without giving the option of taking test again. This would swamp a system already unfit for purpose.

No such thing as going criminally slow (or even criminally slowly) since there is no legal lower limit. Yes there are drivers who should drive more quickly but the fault is equally with drivers who don't notice slower speeds and drive accordingly ie slower drivers create the hazard but other drivers have to have poor hazard awareness for an accident to occur, and it is this latter group who are legally in the wrong.

These days, most people seem to think that double yellow lines don’t apply to them and also double white lines in the middle of the road don’t apply to them. And I’m not talking about old people either.

And this is the real reason they wont retest the 17 to 24s and are going after 70+ instead. If the younger ones fail they could lose their jobs if they cant get to them without a car and have to claim benefits creating more NEETS.

I wouldn't agree with a full diving test anyway and I don't believe that it would be illegal to require sight, reaction and cognition tests in people of an age where those are reducing.

No, we never had to do theory test but we had to answer questions on road signs and highway code. More stressful than theory test because a fail meant whole test fail, not just fail of theory part. Not just old people. Some quite young people passed before introduction of theory test.

As an over 60 I agree with this. I have two friends (over 70) who I know are dangerous on the road. I suggested that one of them should really give up driving and was castigated for suggesting it. This friend had a prang in car park a week before, which was recorded on CCTV, but hadn't noticed that they'd hit another car!

My concentration when driving isn't what it was 10 years ago. I'm not too bad if I'm driving alone, but passengers are now a huge distraction to me.

I hope I'm realistic enough when I'm in that position to hang up my car keys,

There was a horrific accident near where I live a week ago. A woman of 70 driving a massive SUV reverse crashed through embedded metal barriers and ran over pedestrians, trapping one of them underneath. Why would a person that age drive a vehicle that lethal?

In which case @Skdkhvyvrhej you’ve clearly misread the graph - the upturn doesn’t start at 70. Maybe consider an eye test? 😄

No, we didn’t do a theory test, but we did have to learn the whole of the blooming highway code book because they could ask us literally anything and if we got it wrong we failed the driving test completely, not just the theory test.
And it wasn’t multiple choice.

Ok, I am 68, have been driving for over 50 years and totally understand your point of view,
There are some older people, who should not be driving, but for their own safety. There are some younger people, who should not be driving, because they are massive idiots.
How is weeding out the over 70s going to help the situation?

Actually whilst generally there is no legal lower speed limit if someone is driving so slowly they are causing a risk or hazard to other road users then they can be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention or even dangerous driving if the circumstances warrant it. There are some places which do mandate minimum speeds (blue circle with white numbers).

From the thread ive linked
StandingSideBySide · 23/02/2026 15:17
Following on from posters comments re using computers to complete the test
and this test does have a time limit so is even more relevant
Heres an investigation carried out re whether the use of computers discriminated against those who don’t use them.
‘ Online driving cognitive tests can introduce bias, and in some cases, act as a form of discrimination against individuals who do not use computers or have low digital literacy
While these digital tools are often designed to be accessible and efficient, they frequently rely on skills—such as navigating interfaces, using a mouse, or responding quickly to on-screen stimuli—that are not directly related to driving ability but rather to computer familiarity.
Wiley +3
Evidence of Bias Against Non-Users
Performance Discrepancies:Studies have found significant differences in test results based on "computer familiarity." Individuals with less experience (using computers "some" rather than "frequently") performed significantly worse on key domains like reaction time, complex attention, and cognitive flexibility, regardless of their actual driving capability.
Technical Anxiety: Older adults, who are more likely to have limited experience with technology, often face "technology anxiety," which can hinder their performance and engagement with the test, leading to potential false-positive results (being labeled "unsafe" when they are not).
User Interface Variations:Performance on these tests can be affected by the type of device used (e.g., tablet vs. desktop) and the user's familiarity with that specific interface.
Wiley +4
Counterarguments and Context
Good Validity for Users: Research on specific tools, such as the DriveABLE assessment, shows a strong correlation between in-office computerized tests and on-road driving ability, often acting as a high-accuracy, objective measure.
Designed for Simplicity: Some developers argue their tests are designed to be intuitive, requiring no specialized computer skills.
Practice Effects: Studies indicate that even when initial scores are low due to unfamiliarity, repeated use (practice) can improve performance, although this can also mask genuine cognitive decline.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov) +4
The "Digital Divide" and Accessibility
The shift towards online assessments is generally driven by the need for better access to testing in rural areas and faster, cheaper, and more frequent monitoring for older drivers. However, this shift risks excluding those who are not digitally savvy, creating a "digital divide" where individuals are penalised for a lack of technology access or skill. ‘
So it seems that the only way for these online tests not to be biased is for anyone taking them to undertake significant practice ??
So every day for many many years to be equal to all others.??
There needs to be alternate ways to test that neither give an advantage to the computer savvy nor a disadvantage to the computer illiterate
As another poster commented, until all things are equal, losing one’s licence through this test could well, and should, end up in court

It's a ludicrous idea.

Retesting everyone every five years would likely mean waiting lists of years. What are people supposed to do in the meantime?

I can't see how it would help anyway - people aren't going to speed or drive too close on the test so how is a retest going to weed out dangerous drivers?

Ignoring the logistical problems of how you actually free up enough testing slots, I do agree that beyond a certain age there needs to be retests.

My elderly father is a fucking menace on the road and the only way to stop him driving would be to take his licence off him.

If you aren't capable of passing a test on any given day, then I would argue you shouldn't be driving. It's not like a driving test is particularly hard.

But then I also think it shouldn't be possible to take test after test until someone eventually passes. There are too many drivers on the road, having stricter standards would be no bad thing.

The only barrier is the very practical issue of there not being enough capacity in the system as it is, but if there were I would fully support everyone regardless of age having to sit a retest periodically.

So over 70s are incredibly dangerous drivers but at the same time it’s disgusting that these old people claim a state pension from 67 and it should be increased to at least 75? So over 70s need to keep working (and of course are fully fit and competent to do this! Everyone has PILs or parents who still run marathons at 75!) but at the same time stop driving as they are not fit or competent to do this. Would fuck delivery drivers right over wouldn’t it. Schrödingers delivery drivers. Ah yes I forgot. They’d just need to find another job they can walk to. But not one that a young person would want. Can’t have old people taking all the good jobs! In fact I hope the home they walked from is only a tiny 1 bed flat. If they haven’t downsized to free up their big house for families then they are disgusting for that as well right! But equally how awful that the lovely 1 bed flat went to a 70 year old! That would have been a lovely starter home for a young person couple!

Best post on the thread shining a light on the utter hypocrisy

Yes. Not always because they are being bloody minded, but also because they are frightened of giving up their independence.

|I think every driver should have to take a refresher course/test every 5 years.
Keeps everyone on the same page and might reduce bad habits.

If the test centres are struggling currently then we would need more to keep up with demand.

Schrodingers driver = much lol