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

The tests they use to identify if someone is still suitable for driving are not the same as a driving test. They involve an O.T assessment to determine strength as well as drawing a line round a maze. There may be other tests too but ut definitely isnt the same as a driving test.
My daughter had to have one of these before she started driving to asses what adaptions she needs as a disabled driver. I was flabbergasted at the line maze.

I said that earlier. 80 is more realistic. I wouldn't say 70 is very young, but it's too young to be expected to stop driving.

Poor parking isn't due to age. People of that age and younger learned when parking was in the syllabus but not the test. Hence instructors gave it low priority and a great many never learned. I struggle with parking, but I also struggled at 25. As for spatial awareness, or rather, lack thereof, that's not exclusively the domain of the elderly. Many females have little.

Then you'll easily pass another test, won't you.

People are missing the point. Retesting at certain age isn't about getting all drivers over 70/75 off the roads; just the ones who are no longer competent.

Allowing someone to pass a test at 17 and then continue driving at 90 with no oversight is clearly fucking absurd.

I agree but instead of a test maybe make us all get an eye test and black box before we can renew our licence at 70. Tests would be good but it took me 9 months to get my driving test. I was checking every day as well. I think the wait is around 6 months now in some areas.
My grandad should have stopped driving years before he did and a know a few elderly people in my street that shouldn't be driving. My mother in law for one. Her car has a new scratch or dint every week.

If you are that bothered then why not test EVERYONE every 5 years. That would be fairer. Some of the worst driving I've ever seen are people who look as if they are aged 30-50. Enough if all the ageist nonsense.. AGAIN.

There is a huge issue getting a driving test for anyone, regardless of the age. An easier solution would be to say they must go out with a certified instructor once a year after the age of 70. If that instructor has concerns, they can report the person to the DVLA. It does not have to be a formal test, more of an assessment/refresher. I do however, think that if doctors have concerns regarding someone's cognitive abilities, they should be allowed to report them without fear of consequences.

Absolutely. My mum carried on driving safely until.she was early 80's and only stopped as she was feeling much less confident.

Cognitive decline as you quote is an individual situation, many people over 70 are quite able. Op post is ridiculous

Ive just commented on a post and it has somehow attached itself to the wrong one, im not over 70 and disagree with the op 😂

I think there should be a mandatory lifetime driving ban for anyone of any age who kills or seriously injured another person as a result of reckless driving.

I have never understood why people who kill or seriously injure others with their vehicles are allowed to return to driving at any stage of their lives. Always they seem to get just eg 5 year bans.

Why do we take the risk on these people? Maybe if they realised they faced a lifetime of public transport they might take more care.

If you think your 75 year old father is a danger write to his doctor explaining your fears and the dr can contact DVLC and they can withdraw his license on medical grounds

This.

Statistically the over 70s are less likely to have accidents. They aren’t drinking / aren’t driving late at night/ aren’t using phones while driving . You may have a problem with a family members, but my DM stopped driving when she was having issues with eyes, DP still driving short distances to church and supermarket, it’s a lifeline for him, but I would happily be driven by him at 89. It would be ageist to impose a full driving test every five years on over 70s and those resources could be better unused elsewhere in terms of road safety

I wonder if you will still feel this way when you are 70.

Testing won't solve reckless behaviour by young drivers. It tests you abilities, not what you might do when you think no one is watching.

Who's actually checking your eyesight though? Or is it merely a self-declaration?

The fact that younger people pay more insurance is irrelevant. The reality is that the 17-24 age group cause more serious injuries and deaths than any other age group. Is that ok by you as long as they pay more?

The most effective way to reduce vehicle related accidents would be to stop the 17-24 age group from driving altogether. But actually, most of the dangerous drivers are men. So maybe we should just stop 18-24 year old men from driving. Doing that would massively reduce the number of serious accidents on the roads.

I think if there had to be a test maybe older like 75 or 80+ not 70, my dad and father in law both 70 are great drivers, go for regular eye tests and drive better than anyone else I know. If anything needed to be brought in they could just redo the theory rather than road test, I've had to do that every 2 years despite having a licence for over 20 years because I'm currently abroad.

No. But you, Op, should be reporting your father to the Police.
Report any other dangerous drivers too, regardless of age.

You are welcome to do that.

You are neglegent if you do not.

Most 70 year olds are safe drivers and most over 80 know when to give the keys up, particularly when prompted by families and their doctor.

Yes, if you're competent you'd pass again. My car got written off last year by an 88 year old driving a huge Audi. We both walked away (airbag on my car deployed) - him with his walking stick- but had my car been a metre further forward he'd have gone into my driver's door and I'd have been in hospital. Nobody had stopped him driving. I really hope that was the last time he was behind the wheel of a car, he could have killed someone else.

IMO it should be mandatory for all drivers to re-sit written and driven tests every time they renew their licence. If you cannot pass driving theory and practical tests you are a danger to everyone on the road. Obviously there would need to be a temporary licence period for people who fail, to give them another opportunity to pass before losing their licence. But it would help remove dangerous practises from the roads and keep people's knowledge of road rules current.

Ah yes, I remember reading there were something like 500k people with dementia in the uk, but according to the dvla there were only 50k people with dementia

Many of those people with dementia never held a driving licence (30% of people over 70 don’t) of those who did most would just stopped renewing it, many more would have quietly stopped driving. The thing that’s surprising about that figure is that as many as ten percent would have notified DVLA. Incidentally 70k of people with early onset dementia are under 65.