to think 93 is too old to still be driving?

[Goldidi]

Last night I met a man at a new group I've joined. He is 93 and still doing a lot for himself which is great, but I did feel uncomfortable when I found out that he drives himself 10miles to and from this group. He is obviously getting on, he is rather deaf even with his 2 hearing aids, he walks with a stick, etc. It's been playing on my mind all day as I am actually rather concerned about the safety of someone of that age driving as his reactions are obviously slower than a younger person, even when he hears/sees what is going on. I do appreciate that driving gives him more independence but is it worth compromising on safety for that independence?

So AIBU in thinking that there should be a cut off age where people need to undergo a medical test or a reactions test to show that they are still capable of driving safely? I would propose about 70ish for that cut off and maybe do the reactions test every couple of years.

Toombs That's why I originally suggested that it should be a check/test for older drivers because there are significantly fewer of them and they are the most likely group to have reduced reactions. And I would want a limit on how many times you could retake the reactions test as your reactions are unlikely to become significantly better just by retaking a test are they?

Have just googled and apparently the first compulsory driving test was introduced in 1935 ...

The most dangerous group on the road by far are 17 - 25 year old male drivers, concentrate your efforts on them and let old'uns get on with their lives. They may be old and slow but they're generally not dangerous.

And I would be just as happy with a general health check or something similar with your GP but there are logistical issues with that too as most GPs are incredibly busy already without having to add in more tests on patients.

The test would be pointless, there are many things that can reduce reaction times.

Tiredness is one, and if a person don't sleep we'll before a test then they will fail.

I agree with the doctors signing to say if someone is medically fit to drive

Being able to pass a computer test doesn't mean you can spot those hazards in real life, it means you are good at playing a predictable computer game.

Having years of experience spotting genuinely unpredictable hazards and therefore having a lengthy record of no claims is actually a much better test.

Toombs, there may be new rules appearing this January that prevent new drivers under the of 22 years old being allowed to carry passengers under 21 years old for a full year, though so far this seems to apply to N.I only.

There have been rules about not driving without a licence for years but it doesn't stop it happening. Any rule about new drivers under 22 carrying passengers would be flouted, who's going to stop it? The police won't be able to stop every car with what looks like a young driver behind the wheel and if you just happen to look young you'd soon be annoyed at being stopped all the time.

My grandad is 87 and he Is the safest person ever in the car. Whether he remember where he parks said car is a different story however

Toombs, the police can stop any new driver as they must display R plates for a full year and are restricted to 45 mph fora full year but those rules may also be changing.

FFS, I get IDed all the time for alcohol as apparently I look too young. I'm 34. A rule about not driving with under 21s in the car would be unworkable and unenforcable. How would young parents manage to be independent in certain areas???!

"I do think that everybody should retake their test every 10 years, and that should be accompanied by a medical. Regardless of age. "

Agree with this. My 79-year-old mum regularly drives through red lights, never signals and drifts across the road. When I'm driving her she frequently tells me to do the wrong thing. None of this would be picked up by a visit to a GP.

Oh, and I've never driven through a red light, oh no... would maybe benefit from a retest myself

bureni, what percentage will simply not display the R plate? Will the police give up the fight against crime because they have to stop every young driver? No, of course they won't. This is unenforceable and is frankly just to assuage public fears by being seen to do something, it will just make more youngsters flout the law.

Failure to display an R plate means you get disqualified for a full year, that is automatic plus the car drivers details are all logged within the police and DVA database.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18249137

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-18249137

So the driver drives without a licence, these are people prepared to flout the law, they don't care what it says.

That would be very dangerous and they would be very easy to catch. The changes are being brought in to help reduce the very high cost of car insurance which has to be a good thing. Personally I think the U.K should have one set of driving test/mot test rules instead of 2 separate systems which can be very confusing.

My DGFIL is 93 and drives, he also goes abroad yearly and on our last visit had just dug a tonne of manure into his large vegetable garden. He is absolutely amazing!

You could be talking about my grandpa! He's 95 and lives on his own, still drives, goes to art club and plays 9 holes of golf 3 x a week. He had a flash sports car until he was 85!

Should he still be driving? I don't know. Yes he's getting on a bit but some of the crap drivers I've seen on my way home from work certainly weren't 95.

Could you make an excuse to ride with him at all.eg say ask him of he could drop you off at a shop or something.
Failing that,you could possibly follow him for a few miles to see how he goes.
fwiw,i know a man who is driving and is about that age or older,and he drives perfectly well.

I'm actually gobsmacked that people are still driving in their 90's.

WYP My own grandpa - also 95 soon walks the dog for 2 hours a day, actually looks after my own father - who is disabled - they live together - still cooks roasts and all sorts!

Oh, and drives, too.

Let's have a competitive-my-grandfather-is-more-with-it-than-your-grandpa-thread!

Depends entirely on the individual.

I think re-testing would be a good idea. My grandfather was reluctant to quit when his vision started to fail... but was sensible and did sell his car. We had an accident a month ago where a very elderly man backed his car into ours without looking (we had finished our reverse rom a parking space, I was just moving to drive from reverse when he hit me, he backed out without looking over his shoulder)... his car was a very old one with a solid metal bumper, so took no damage, but my car was badly crumpled and torn at the back. Insurance said it was both our faults as we reversed at the same time, even though he admitted at the scene it was his fault. So no repair for my car, and an elderly gentleman out there causing accidents in a vehicle that can wreck modern ones. :-(