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)

Not in UK and I always come on these threads to express surprise. Where I am any driver, from 16yo faces a ban if they fail the eyesight test, which we need to take when we renew license. No biggie, they just do it at the counter. As long as you pass with glasses if needed, that’s fine, it’s just listed on your license as a condition that you need specs to drive. Obviously, if you wear contacts you would just need to prove that.

Young drivers continue to improve, and quickly. Elderly drivers continue to decline, quickly, and refuse to accept it

Any evidence for this?

I agree with this but i also think there needs to be an overhaul of the testing system so that after a certain age you have to undertake a hazard perception test to ensure you are capable of spotting things and reacting in the right way.

Good. About bloody time.

My aunt still drives at 84!

i agree, if your eyesight is failing, then you shouldn’t be able to drive BUT wasnt it only the other week theyre on about upping the retirement age to 75?! Fgs so were still ok to go to work blind but not drive 🤣🤣🤣 joke for anyone who thinks im not joking 🙄

It’s a start but quite frankly plenty of those younger are ‘ blind as bats ‘ or appear to be !

So it’s ok for someone to die because the driver will get better ? ! We need to tackle all sources of poor driving or it just comes across as hate

why not mandatory eye testing for all?

lets say refresher exams for young drivers at say 4 months and 12 months ?
possibly with bans on driving with more than one other person for the first 6 months
and a special license to drive after say 9pm ?

and a lot more law enforcement but that won’t happen as it’s expensive

Hopefully something like this will come in the near future. I don't know how much coverage this case got in the wider UK media, but a 3 year old boy was killed here in Edinburgh a few years back by an elderly driver, who it later transpired had severe cognitive impairment and should not have been driving (she had no family to try and stop her either). His parents are currently campaigning for all drivers over 80 to have a cognitive assessment when they renew their license, which seems very sensible.

Should not be ageist at all!
All people, regardless of age, should have to pass an eye test and wear their glasses if they are prescribed them.

All ages of people should have to follow the same alcohol reading. Is it .02 for learners and .05 for experienced drivers?
I wouldn't mind it being .02 for everyone.

Any individual should face a driving ban if they fail a mandatory eyesight test. Their age is irrelevant.

Anecdata but a few years ago at a music festival, DD and some of her late 20s friends liked my (prescription) sunnies and tried them on. There were about four or five of them. Three remarked how much better their vision was. I pointed out what this meant.

For comparison, in Ireland everyone needs an eye test to get first license. At age 75 and above both a Medical report and an eye test are mandatory in order to renew driving licences.

The man is complaining that he can't get an appointment for a special DVLA eye test not a standard test. They can only be done at certain centres and there may well be limited availability. He may also be on a waiting list for a hospital appointment to see a specialist for glaucoma diagnosis or treatment.

As one of the first who will be affected, I think this is just plain sensible. DM gave up driving when she was about 77, but lived in town and went mainly shopping on foot or by bus.

The in-laws lived in suburbs and everyday life was much harder for them when we stopped them driving. We had to take DMIL's car away because she had dementia and got lost on a journey she had known for 70 years.

I think it's crazy that you can pass your test at 17 and then not have to have your eyes tested for driving until you've retired. I can't see why a test every couple of years isn't necessary.

BUT wasnt it only the other week theyre on about upping the retirement age to 75?! Fgs so were still ok to go to work blind but not drive

We have that covered that as well here. From 75yo you need annual medical assessment to retain license each year. Then elderly get practical tests as well, which I think are free as they are made to do it. None of this is ageist. It’s just common sense.

Everyone should pass an eye test regularly for driving.
I had a drivers license in California, we had to renew in person every few years and had to do the eye test there and then to get the new license. Over 30 years I think I tested about 4 or 5 times for driving. It makes sense.

Absolutely. This is a good start, though.

All drivers should be have eye tests every few years. It’s bizarre that this isn’t a requirement like in many other countries.

If you fail an eye test then you definitely shouldn’t be driving. It’s a basic requirement for operating a vehicle.

My aunt still drives at 84!

According to a recent BBC news article, there's at least one driver in the UK who is 24 years older than your aunt!

My initial assumption was that they must just not have got around to surrendering it for years after they stopped driving, so it was technically still in force but realistically long inactive; but of course, you have to keep regularly renewing your licence at that age, and state that you comply with all of the requirements - so it must be somebody who was still actively using their licence at least three years ago and is still alive!

My mother was “retested” by a local driving instructor - he had no concerns and she was well over 80 so…

I’m not sure they necessarily improve very quickly as regards recklessness, thinking speed limits don’t apply to them, etc.

I dare say I have watched too many episodes of Police Interceptors, but so often it’s young men they have to chase and stop.

@FridgeJenga my dad is still working past retirement age. I can’t imagine in a couple of years he wouldn’t be allowed to drive .

Id say 75 and I was one , many years ago saying that at a certain age you should be retested but at end of day we are all healthier working longer . So maybe leave the testing to 75

I think it's good. I've known of older people who insist they're fine to drive but can't see properly and carry on - an accident just waiting to happen. It's not ageist as everyone has to meet the eyesight requirements. Older people are far more susceptible to cataracts, macular degeneration etc so it makes sense to me.

I'm absolutely flabbergasted that your car has to have an MoT every year, to prove that it isn't a danger on the roads; and yet there's no requirement whatsoever for a driver to have a regular eye test to prove that they are not a danger on the roads.

It would be so easy to have an online database of drivers who are still proven to have appropriate eyesight to keep their licence. I would say that, if your optician hasn't updated it after two years - to certify that you've had a test and all is good - you have three months to get a test and remedy this, before your licence is automatically revoked with an assumption of inability to meet the eyesight requirements.