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

I agree, but 70 is too young. I think it should be from age 80. And realistically, with the lack of availability of driving tests, I think it should be a specific test signed off by a GP (or other specific medical centre professional) which checks cognitive function, spatial capacity and reaction speeds, rather than an actual driving test.
The stats of 'older drivers' having dangerous collisions is pretty low, but that is because older drivers are classified as 70 and older. 70 to 80 year olds are generally pretty safe, but from 80 upwards it's a terrifying set of statistics! I'll try to upload a graph I found from the .gov.uk page...

Being the mother of 2 teenage boys I don't think men/boys should be allowed to start driving until they are 30!

I jest though, sort of. Maybe just no passengers under the age of 30 (driver or passenger must be 30).

The thought of my youngest behind the wheel of a car fills me with utter dread.

1 grandad adored driving drove everywhere, was driving on the continent in the 50's and 60's drove in to central London regularly but over a few weeks in his 70's he started to realise his reactions were slower and he didn't feel as safe, so he stopped his wife didn't drive. My other grandad never drove but my grandma had a crash in her 70's nasty crash, her fault, few minor injuries only but her car was written off, she never drove again as realised she shouldn't due to reaction times. Not all 'old folk' are oblivious, thoughtless and obstinate.

I'd like to see extensive "psychological fitness to drive" testing added

too many absolute idiots of all ages in control of large and/or fast vehicles,

but absolutely not in control of themselves... grew into adult-sized meat-suits, but never left the playground

I think it should be mandatory every 10 years from your test date and mandatory on receiving 12 points on your licence

I think after 12 points on your licence, you deserve to fired into the sun

How would that work? My blind father in law had never lost his licence.

you can run someone down with a car, maim or kill them and then get your licence back after 2 years - imo you should never drive again

I've just remembered, my friend's mother, with dementia, crashed and killed her father.

Make it mandatory for everyone to retake the driving test every five years. And an eyesight test every two years if you drive.

But we're talking about cognitively. How many times have you been on the motorway and someone is tootling along at 50mph (often in the middle lane), not keeping up with the traffic and you can see it's some little figure slumped in the driver's seat and you pass by and it's an old person? They do the nuttiest things and haven't got a clue that what they're doing is wrong.

young men are the most likely to have the worst accidents

I’m not sure that’s true when you look at it per mile driven.

You could overcome ageism by requiring everyone to retake their test every (insert time frame here but maybe 10 years). Or requiring everyone to drive with a black box in their car for a designated period at set intervals of time.

They have to get their eyes tested. But a really elderly man who could barely walk or read what was before him showed his driving license in front of me at the bank and I thought he definitely shouldn’t be driving

Driving appears to be one area where a drivers "rights" trump everyone elses.

You only have to read local news reports for a few weeks to be astounded how many drivers keep their licence because of "exceptional hardships". (That is hardships that were so special the defendant clear forgot about them).

No call me a cunt, but if you need your licence for "exceptional hardships" (that you just discover when you are in court) then you should lose your licence forever. Some people simply should never be allowed behind the wheel of anything.

I agree this is largely a health issue and would be better addressed as part of a standard medical assessment every few years. It has the added benefit of detecting other health issues too. The only time an older person is currently asked "who the prime minister is" or if they can manage the stairs is if they are admitted to hospital, by which time decline has often set in. We need to be more proactive instead of waiting until a disaster happens.

My 91 year old dad has just had his licence renewed for the next 3 years. Neither me or any of my siblings will get in the car with him now. His decision making capabilities are now questionable, his special awareness is awful and his reactions are slow. His car looks like the one out of Father Ted. There is not a panel that is not damaged.

I live in a rural area and the amount of very aged people on the roads round here is concerning. I’ve seen them stop at the local garage and some of them struggle to get out of their cars and walk into the shop. What their reflexes would be like in an accident is anybody’s guess. It is truly worrying.

so, I agree with you OP, but I don’t know what the solution is.

I would advocate for health and cognative checks rather than resitting the driving test. And maybe, obligatory black boxes for drivers under 21 and over 81.

That wasn't my question.

Well while we’re criticising people, what about getting all the women off the road who clearly just drive for the school runs and supermarket? The husbands do all the family and distance driving leaving their wives/partners just doing the short distance local runs, therefore they never gain the experience required to drive well. I’ve read enough posts on here by women saying they’re scared to drive a significant distance or after dark, or they won’t drive unfamiliar routes or are scared to drive on motorways. There’s one on here at the moment who has just failed her sixth driving test. You don’t have to be over 70 to be a danger on the roads.

That's a great chart of accidents that they are involved in, but there's also something I've heard said that has always rung true for me "he's never been involved in an accident but since he turned 70 he's seen dozens!" The slower reactions do mean that older people rely on others to avoid them, rather than the other way around.

I have had Parkinson’s for 10 years, I’m 54 and my driving is perfectly safe thank you. Not all of us are rocking and dribbling in the corner.

Why don't you report to DVLA if you haven't already?
I mean they are glacial in their response times but it's something at least.

Thss as at scary @BaffledAndBemusedToo - similar concerns about a younger parent but not as serious as yours. But if you live rurally, it’s even more important to have your own transport, so think a lot of people keep driving who would give up with better availability of public transportation.

I don't think they should have to take a test, BUT, I think all drivers should have to have a refresher session with an instructor each time they renew their driving license. To help them spot bad habits they've got into, and then if their driving is dangerous (because let's face it, there are many of all ages who are dangerous) they are referred for another test before their license is renewed.

The instructors should be hired specifically for this role, and should be salaried so there would be no incentive for them to fail people purposefully.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-and-younger-driver-factsheets

picking up on the data that @Chipandcherry posted.

The whole test every five years idea. Over 42 million full licence holders in the UK, so an extra 8.5 million tests would be needed every year.

Currently we manage somewhere between 1.6 and 1.9 million tests. With all the delays and waiting. So I’m intrigued at to where the capacity for a five fold scale up might come from.

6.3m full licence holders age 70 or over, not necessarily all still driving of course.

However chart 4 in the link above makes for sobering reading. Younger male drivers and older female drivers have the highest killed or seriously injured rates per billion miles travelled.