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)

I think everyone should have to have eye tests to keep their licence. It makes no sense that you have to prove you can see adequately in order to pass the test, and then never again for potentially decades. For younger people it could be every 10 years or something, getting more frequent once you hit 70.

So, they should use taxis like the many other responsible older drivers who’ve not renewed their licence because they know they’re not quite up to scratch! I’m bloody sick of these feeble excuses which mean drivers in their late 80s are chuntering around in cars they can hardly control, putting other people at risk! A driver of around 80 hit me on a zebra crossing! Another was incapable of reversing and was so cognitively affected, he didn’t even seem to understand what I was explaining to him.

This is a good start, but I’d go further and institute a maximum age that you can hold a driving licence.

To all those mentioning younger drivers, yes, they need attention too, but so do the older ones. Let’s sort the older ones out and then look at how to sort younger drivers.

Lots of ageism on this thread. And yet the posters making the comments forget they and their children will be OAPs one day.

He is blaming the NHS for the lack of eye tests but surely most people go to Specsavers/Boots and other opticians where it's really easy to get an appointment.

If there was a maximum age that you could hold a licence, I’d be more than happy to hand mine in when I reach that age.

I think mid 40s would be about the right time to start this, based on what is or used to be the age where regular medicals are needed for buses and lorry licensing.

I’m 61, husband is 66. We think it’s a bloody marvellous idea. Being an OAP doesn’t trump the safety of every other road and pavement user.

It's interesting how that article cites 1,600 people a year dying in RTAs.

Whereas if you do a google AI search it cites approximately 6 road deaths a year are attributed to drivers with poor eyesight.

If those stats are actually true then to me there is something of a question over whether the ends justify the means and whether or not resources should be focussed on other areas to lower road deaths.

The standard of driving among the young is also fucking woeful. It’s a driving standards issue, not an age one. Certainly not at 70 which is only a couple of years past people working in very responsible and/or physical jobs.

The programme was horrendous. I had my eyes tested recently and they showed me what the driving standard is and it’s pretty low

my dad has glaucoma but he is having medical treatment for it, regular eye tests and is safe to drive

Pretty sure being able to see properly is a driving prerequisite for everyone and everyone is required to report a change in vision...

I'm fine with it also revising the drink/drive limit

So she’d likely pass her eye test and be fine. Others might not.

I agree. Yes it must be awful to lose your independence due to not driving (my DH has never been allowed to drive, due to poor eyesight). But that’s no justification for continuing to drive until you hit someone and are forced to stop.

What if they set that age at 60, though? Or even 50?! I'm nearly 50 and my health is certainly showing extremely clear signs of very much not being young anymore.

I think that, whilst we need to be mindful of the common negative effects of age on the body and mind in general, it should all be judged on an individual basis. Some very elderly drivers are still perfectly safe behind the wheel; whereas a lot of drivers in their 20s should probably be given a bus pass and never allowed to drive again.

God help me if I ever become so delusional that I think my independence is worth running someone over for.

But it looks like plenty of people don’t report it. And vision change is something that can happen slowly - being charitable, it’s something that some people might not be fully aware has got worse unless they’re tested. Seems like a good idea to me.

Between 2004 and 2023:

• Killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver increased from 3,082 to 3,451, a rise of 12%
• KSI casualties in collisions involving other aged car drivers decreased from 37,023 to 20,397, a fall of 45%

Averaged over the period 2019 to 2023:

• 57% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male. This compares to 67% for KSI casualties from collisions involving other aged car drivers
• 27% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver were male and aged over 70 years old
• KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one older car driver peak between 10am and 4pm
• 53% of KSI casualties from older car driver collisions occurred on rural roads, compared to 42% for other aged car drivers
• 47% of KSI casualties from older car driver collisions occurred not at junction or within 20 metres, compared to 48% of other aged car driver collisions
• the most common contributory factor allocated to vehicles driven by an older car driver involved in fatal or serious collisions (FSC) was ‘driver failed to look properly’ followed by ‘driver failed to judge another person’s path or speed’

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-and-younger-driver-factsheets-2023/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-older-driver-factsheet-2023

Between 2004 and 2023:

• KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one younger car driver decreased from 12,257 to 4,959, a fall of 60%
• KSI casualties in collisions involving other aged car drivers decreased from 31,130 to 19,349, a fall of 38%

Averaged over the period 2019 to 2023:

• 65% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one younger car driver were male. This compares to 66% for KSI casualties from collisions involving other aged car drivers
• 33% of KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one younger car driver were male and aged between 17 and 24 years old
• KSI casualties from a collision involving at least one younger car driver peak on weekdays from 4pm to 7pm, but as a proportion of car collisions are highest during the late evening and early morning
• 48% of KSI casualites in younger car driver collisions occurred on rural roads, compared to 42% for other aged car drivers collisions
• 53% of KSI casualties in younger car driver collisions occurred not at junction or within 20 metres, compared to 47% of other aged car driver collisions
• the most common contributory factor allocated to vehicles driven by a younger car driver involved in fatal or serious collisions (FSC) with another vehicle was ‘driver failed to look properly’
• vehicles driven by a younger car driver were more likely to have factors ‘loss of control’, ‘exceeding speed limit’ and ‘learner or inexperienced driver’ compared to vehicles driven by drivers of other ages

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualties-great-britain-older-and-younger-driver-factsheets-2023/reported-road-casualties-in-great-britain-younger-driver-factsheet-2023

3.2 Younger car drivers casualties by severity
Younger car drivers account for a relatively large proportion of both car driver casualties and casualties in collisions involving cars.
Table 1 shows that in 2023 18% of all car driver fatalities were younger car drivers. Table 2 shows that in 2023 23% of fatalities from collisions involving a car driver were from a collision involving at least one younger car driver.

Eye tests for everyone who drives!

The retirement age is creeping up!

Well driving licences are valid until the age of 70 and I think that’s perfectly fair.

@thepariscrimefiles see my post at 11.11.
There are separate DVLA sight tests required if you report yourself to DVLA because of an eye condition. There may well be a wait for these as well as long waiting times to see a opthalmologist at the hospital.

Absolutely agree. Bad eyesight affects people of all ages not just the over 70's. But there area lot of elderly folk driving who shouldn't be. The same probably applies to younger people.

I don’t think any age is too young for someone to have to surrender their licence if they can’t see properly/can’t be a safe driver. But I thought the main issue with older drivers is their reaction times (I guess this could be linked to their eyesight?)

As usual, the first post nails it!

I'm 53 and my eyesight has rapidly crappened with menopause. My 83 year old mother still bombs down motorways regularly, driving accross the UK to visit family and it scares the living daylights out of me.

I am of the belief that all drivers should be regularly re-tested.

My 89 year old grandad was telling me proudly that he recently had his licence renewed. The rest of the family was horrified, he has no business driving! Luckily he recognises this somewhat, most of the time a family member will drive them places. He still goes to church with my grandmother once a week and this seems non-negotiable for them.

My DHs grandad had a horrific accident in his eighties. Airlifted to hospital and all, thank goodness it was a one-sided accident. This did not stop him from driving, went back behind the wheel pretty much as soon as he was discharged. I think there should be a mechanism where driving licences can be taken away after an accident like this.

Yes, we will all be old one day. And hopefully responsible enough drivers to know our limits and/or listen to reason. I once had to rescue an elderly driver in the middle of our residential street who’d stepped out of her car and walked away because she’d forgotten how to reverse.