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)

This is when people should plan ahead for their old age and face the reality that they won’t be safe to drive a vehicle as they get older, so need to think carefully about living out in the sticks.

The driving test does already include a requirement to read a number plate from 20m away. Fairly crude but simple enough that the examiner can do it (rather than needing an optician) and will weed out anyone with uncorrected shortsightedness.

MSM love to portray that there is a war against drivers

You hear this (ridiculous) excuse all the time. It's their choice to live in the middle of nowhere. If you're not safe to drive, you're not safe to drive -end of.

The standard of driving by many of the middle aged is dreadful. They don’t seem to know what indicators are for, give way at junctions and speed limits obviously dont apply to them

I generally agree with the direction and as many posters would prefer even stricter policy, but with ever increasing retirement age we will need to find better public transport solutions, otherwise it won't be possible for people to continue working.

Agree, I’m afraid. In our early and mid 60s we’re retiring to a city centre flat with a decent public transport system and every service we need pretty much visible from our balconies. Firmly believe more people should think ahead and do the same if their finances permit.

I expect Elon is working on a solution as we write …………..

Town centres would be a lot busier if apartments where built in the renters or offices converted instead of lying empty. It was also use brown sites for building. Not only would over 65s be able to get about without a car they'd use the shops that are left and may well promote other shops opening to cater for their needs. On tip of that pensioners walking short distances regularly is far healthier than getting inside a car

So you’re basically saying their need to get out and about trumps everyone’s safety? It they’re not safe to drive for whatever reason they should stop, regardless of where they live. If it’s that much of an issue, don’t live somewhere so isolated. My parents moved from deepest darkest cumbria to Kendal in their old age so that they would be in a town and have access to things without a car.

Sorry but why didn’t you report her?? She could have killed someone!

Yes it would be a good thing if a side effect of stricter driving rules was that public transport improved. Plenty of people are currently unable to drive, either financially or medically excluded, and have to make do with rubbish public transport and try to find work that they can get to.

although eye sight diminishes.

@PermanentTemporary Agreed he could stop whilst waiting for the test.

The problem with glaucoma is that your visual acuity isn't affected so you can still see number plates but your field of vision is affected.

Standard eye tests test each eye independently. The DVLA tests both together. You will have a blind patches on each eye but full field with both. Hence the requirement for the additional test. The brain is very good at filling in the blind spots but for driving you could miss e.g a pedestrian walking into the road until it's too late.

Lots of people with glaucoma are safe to drive. It also affects older people in far greater numbers than younger. It's not ageist to acknowledge that.

Anyone who fails an eyesight test should be banned, 70 or not. Do you want visually impaired people driving? Should their guide dog take the wheel?

When I moved out of my parents house and moved again, a consideration was transport and proximity to places. (Shops, my parents house, buses, train station, etc)

I agree. If you watch the episode of Cause of Death on Ch5. Four deaths were caused by poor eyesight and I believe most of the drivers were under 75. And had had poor eyesight for a number of years.

If policy isn't implemented on an evidence based approach then it's hard to argue otherwise.

I do not agree with 2 or 3 if that means that elderly people, many of whom are on low incomes, must pay even more to drive. For some it is a lifeline - that shouldn't mean that they have a licence if it is unsafe for them to drive, but it also should not cost them more to drive. I am "not there yet" - 68 next months, and have regular eye tests (20/20 vision for driving / distance) - but I live in a village, I am disabled and cannot use public transport. I also have a service dog, and whatever the law says on the matter, try getting a taxi to take you anywhere without a full on argument. If anything prevented me from driving then I would stop in an instant, but equally it would have a devastating impact on my life. I cannot agree that addiitonal tests should cost people more. Yes there are well off pensioners, but that isn't the point - there are also plenty who would have to choose between heating, eating and driving

In my opinion, every driver should be asked to take an eye test every 10 years, and more frequently over the age of 70.

It's pretty fundamental, can't drive safely if eyesight is poor. I'm 62 and have no issue with taking increased sight tests.

Hopefully the new rule will set a specific standard that opticians can test against for £20 and then it won't impact the NHS .

No that isn’t at all what the PP is saying. They are saying their parents get regular eye tests to check they are safe to drive. If they are no longer safe they will stop.

Starmer is a dictator so not really surprised he’s done this 😌

To be fair, it’s really difficult to recognise a slow decline in yourself.

Many of the elderly who are unfit to drive genuinely believe they are fine so they are being honest - just honestly wrong.

And before anyone says anything, I fully accept the non-elderly may also be unfit / incompetent and be equally unwilling to recognise the fact. It’s just that an elderly person is more likely to have started out as a good driver and got worse.

Agree. My parents have just fulfilled my mum’s “escape to the country” dream and retired to a house in the middle of nowhere, half an hour’s drive from anything useful, and 5 hours from any family. I don’t know what they’re thinking.