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

70 is absolutely not old! Regarding rural areas, sure if you are properly old (80+ in my mind as a general rule) you wouldn’t probably stay somewhere without amenities and public transport, but plenty of people in their seventies will definitely still be capable of active rural life that needs a car to get to the shops.

I am 6 miles to the nearest shop and a taxi to the nearest hospital would cost over £70 one way. The GP is 6 miles away. The nearest public transport is where the shops are.I think people forget that some parts of the uk are genuinely rural and most of us are pretty strong and capable! 80 definitely I would support something though as I too have been concerned for very elderly drivers on the roads.

DM is nearly 70, and needs her car for work. Nothing wrong with her driving at all.

Schrodingers pensioner

I don't think that's true. I passed first time but so many people who are better and more confident drivers than me failed once and often twice. On another thread someone said 50 percent failed first time. Don't know if that's accurate, but certainly failure is very common. These are mainly people who are judged ready for their tests by instructors. Nobody can guarantee they'd pass if they had to do test again. I'm sure there are many posters on this thread who failed first time but know their driving was no different when they passed from when they had previously failed.

Nothing wrong with the driving of most 70 yr olds. Those who drive badly probably always did drive badly.

Luckily, you are allowed multiple attempts at tests. The test is literally assessing how well you can pass a driving test. Real world driving is different.
I passed second time. I had 2 minors, and 1 major (which was rolling back a tiny bit when pulling away on a hill).
Failing your test does not mean you are dangerous and should never drive. It is nerves that gets to people most of the time. Having someone sat with a clipboard in the passenger seat and watching what direction your eyes are looking etc is not a normal thing to go through.

I wonder if many of those who want to reduce the number of drivers over 70 are only doing so because they do things like drive below the speed limit, use indicators, and have the audacity to drive in peak hours sometimes. Whilst those advocating this probably drive large SUVs, on distances that even in cold weather are walking distance.

Speeding is the single most common factor in the UK. It's a factor in 41% of all reported collisions and 59% of fatal ones. (Department of Transport).

Middle-aged motorists aged 45–54 represent the age group with the highest number of active speeding penalty points and convictions in Great Britain.

Men account for about 75% of the speeding points issued in the UK.

Any other groups you want to target OP?

Maybe it can all be solved by putting over 70s(?) to sleep? That’ll free up the roads for the younger arsehole drivers, and the houses and the jobs etc.

Sure, failing one or two times is going to happen.

But once someone has failed 5, 10 times... then maybe driving isn't for them.

While you have a point, it's easy to focus on older drivers and ignore the fact that some younger drivers aren't perfect. I was aghast when a woman, no older than 40 something drove into me, hurting my leg slightly, and drove off again without noticing.

You’re on a roll tonight 😂

Yes, superficially that seems to make sense, but then you could argue that they were just slow learners but got to the required standard eventually.

No they are not judging by the old lady who went up the back of dd as they approached traffic lights… twice! The camera footage was terrifying that she took so long to react ave her reaction was to put her foot on the accelerator. Dd is having regular physio and car was a write off.

My dad is furious he can’t drive due to a brain tumour and is adamant he’d be fine despite having vision interruptions. My mum has told me that she wants me to tell her if she doesn’t recognise she’s no longer safe.

Then she would have no problem passing a retest, would she.

I'd rather people who can only get up to standard "eventually" just don't drive. If someone fails time after time after time then they are clearly not of the required standard.

Too many cars on the road and too many people being hurt by shit drivers as it is.

I think the under 25s are also dangerous. But other than the under 25s and the over 70s, I don't think there is any pattern of risk.

We decline cognitively as we age. Makes sense we shouldn't be driving a huge lump of metal at speed.

This is SO right. I passed first time because I handle exams well. Someone I knew at university kept failing exams. Also failed driving test 5 times. Passed on sixth attempt. Following day drove from Inverness to London. Then got a job requiring constant driving. Could drive perfectly well but struggled with exams.

I'm with your mum. Feel the same way. It's why a lot of us older people future proof, by moving somewhere we don't need to drive for shops, doctors etc.

But the examiner has judged them competant. Or are the examiners incompetent?

@InSlovakiaTheCapitalOfCourseIsBratislava I’m nearly 70, I work, I am a good driver because I always have been. I resent being termed elderly as you seem to think 70 s is. Perhaps for some I would concede. why not start your focus at 80? Many posters on here are saying the same. Have you been persuaded at all?

Surely the fairly young woman who hit me wasn't cognitively competent either. I was standing with my bike on chevrons next to turning right box. Chevrons separated two turning right boxes, one to turn r into road I was turning into and one to turn r from that road. She shouldn't have even been on chevrons, far less hit me, and then didn't even notice.

Why she need one? Based on just her age?
The wait to get a test at all is ridiculous right now.

People fail a test on nerves a lot of the time.