Over 70s to face driving ban...

[FridgeJenga]

if they fail mandatory eye tests.

What's your opinion?
Is 70 too "young", or about right?
Would 75 be a better compromise?
Currently there is no legal age at which you must surrender your driving licence.
Both my father and FIL voluntarily gave up their licences just before they turned 80. My mum at 76, and MIL is still driving at 78, though only very locally.

(Also in the same article, drink driving limits are under discussion to be lowered, in line with Scotland's laws. This one I fully agree with)

Rural transport has declined due to lack of demand. This in turn is due to elderly preference to use their own vehicle.

Agree everyone should be tested but part of me does wonder if they are targetting the over 70s so there are less cars on the roads so ppl can get to work on time and not be held up, If it was about safety then EVERYONE should be tested as suggested by the consensus here, but then what would happen is ppl working would be caught in that sweep, might lose their jobs if they can no longer get to their employer and have to claim benefits
They must think we are stupid.

I think this is a sensible rule and the age is pretty spot on.

Two separate things - yes, public transport needs improving in rural areas, but someone living in a rural area who can no longer drive can get a taxi. They can’t continue driving if they’re not safe and excuse it by saying that public transport is bad or - a favourite, that they’d ’feel lost without their car’. Taxis are the answer.A relative is a taxi driver and most of his customers are elderly. He has loads of regulars that he takes shopping, into town, to the hairdressers, etc.

Ah, whataboutery. No-one should be allowed to drive with bad eyesight.

Discrimination is treating one group differently from everyone else, and that's what testing over 70 year olds and not other people would do. I am fully behind having compulsory eye tests for all drivers, and if more people of 70+ fail than younger people (as is likely) then so be it. That would be treating everyone equally and ensuring that everyone on the road has good eyesight, rather than singling out one group for testing.

I don't drive and never have, so don't have a vested interest, incidentally.

@nmsi You're missing something. It's a probably DVLA vision test with limited availability.

It's so important. I don't know anyone at all over 70 who considers themselves 'old' and certainly would be too proud to ever admit they shouldn't drive.

Let's not forget (men usually, I've noticed) that generation also seem to think a strong coffee will sort out their 4 pints/glasses of wine.

If it'll save lives, it's obviously a good idea. And to balance my opinion, young people who are also more likely to be in accidents have higher insurance.

However, if this is going to happen, local authorities must improve public transport for over 70s as for many, their car will be their only way to get out.

Switzerland.

I suppose it's about the likelihood of eye sight (or health in general) deteriorating and how that correlates to age.

If somebody was fit to drive with 25, it should be quite easy to calculate the statistical likelihood of eyesight (or health in general) degenerating to such an extent that it would negatively impact driving. And whilst there are always outliers I would also understand why there is a cost-benefit analysis.

IMO anyone who applies for or holds a driving licence should be tested at least every 2 years, not just over 70's.

DD limit, I am full agreement with

Everyone who has eyesight below the minimum needed to drive is not allowed to drive.

A legal requirement to test eyesight at 70 seems to be sensible and proportionate. I think it ought to be a requirement for everyone to have their eyes tested every 5 years.

Allvery sensible- a lot of older people are in complete denial over their sight degeneration.

Ok, thanks for pointing that out. That's what I wondered. I was hoping opticians' appointments weren't going the same way as dentist appointments - rare as hen's teeth!

It's a good idea and would be happy with the 70 age proposal. My DF continued driving for a couple of years beyond what I thought was safe, though he was over 80 before I thought he got dangerous. I think an eye test would have stopped him, though I note from the thread that perhaps people with poor sight can pass! I'm not in favour of the current self-certifying, people generally don't want to give up driving, it's such a loss of independence that they don't want to consider it. My DF listened to the family in the end and stopped but it took a long time to persuade him.

Yes, it'll have been decided by crash data. There'd be no need to do it otherwise.

Mine is free, I had no issues at all

I think this seems like an obvious safeguard.
i read recently that in areas where there is very poor public transport that older people are likely to drive later in life and this is so dangerous. I guess this initiative will counter this but there ought to be parallel planning for older people to get around.

I agree and was going to say the same. I was in my 40's when I discovered that my eyesight had deteriorated enough that I needed glasses to drive and it was by accident (not road accident). I wasn't bumping into anyone or anything and it was only minimal changes. It happened when I went to the optician to get assessed to see if I needed glasses for computer use at work, everyone was offered it when the law about employer provision came in. The optician said I didn't need glasses for computer work but could he see my driving glasses...was a bit shocked when he told me I didn't have any. I honestly would never have known. Since then (now in my 70's) I have had sight tests every other year and would absolutely stop driving if my sight couldn't be corrected enough to keep me safe. I also think that when taking the test, the candidate should have to produce an optician's certificate and not just read the numberplate thing.....although maybe now they do?

Age is totally irrelevant. There should be compulsory eye tests for all drivers every 2 years. And ad hoc checks by police - no point in having glasses/contact lenses to correct sight of you're not wearing them.

If younger people are crashing due to poor eye sight then sure, bring it in for everyone. If people are more likely to have deteriorating eye sight, even with glasses, over the age of 70 leading to crashes, best to concentrate resources on them. No point bringing it in for everyone just because people might think "It's not fair! Why don't young people have to get tested too!" Stamps foot.

I moved to where I live now a little over 30 years ago, semi rural, public transport has always been shit.

There does need to be more provision for public transport in rural areas. I was in Norway a couple of years ago hiking a bit off the beaten track and needed to cut the trek short (due to poor weather) and ended up in a tiny village in the back of beyond. No bus service.
However, what they had, and what many rural areas have is a subsidized (by the local council) service which runs at set times each day and you ring up to book and say exactly where you'd like to be picked up and dropped off. It's timed to correspond with bus services from a bigger town or village. Depending on how many people book a taxi or a small bus will be sent out.
It was really nice actually, the taxi driver told me all about it and also he helped people out of the taxi and carried their shopping into their homes (no online shopping deliveries in that area) if they were unable to do so themselves.

The passengers pay the same price they would for public transport for the same length of journey. Obviously that would be a lot more if they had to pay for a private taxi themselves. The subsidies from the council are probably a lot and that would be an issue in the UK. With the population getting older there's going to be all kinds of issues come up and there will need to be creative solutions.

Is there a big problem with people not getting to work on time? Such a big problem that the government feels the need to step in to think of ways to get older people off the roads to make traffic better to end the current disaster of late staff..?

They allow people to wear glasses for the driving eye test at any age.

This is being misreported and is only really going to affect people with serious eyesight problems that glasses cannot fix

If you can't read a number plate from 20 metres you will fail your driving test whatever age you are, so why wouldn't eyesight be checked for older people who have been driving for some years?

I think everyone with a driving licence should have to have their eyes tested regularly to prove their eyesight is still up to standard; even if that is just the 20 metre distance test.

I'm 76, I have worn glasses all my life and have my eyes tested every year. I would stop driving if my eyesight was not good enough.

Your title is rather silly OP. Over 70s are not 'facing a driving ban', they are being told they need to be able to see properly in order to continue driving on, our increasingly busy roads, in increasingly faster cars, whilst their reactions are likely beginning to slow down.

Can't imagine why anyone would have a problem with that. I for one do not want a load of people driving cars on our roads who have defective eyesight.

I've always thought eyesight enforcement for driving was poor.
I remember my mum and an aunt passed their tests in the 80s and were told they needed glasses to drive.
They never bothered.
Ironically they are in their 70s now, and voluntarily wear glasses to drive as their sight has deteriorated.