to support the idea of re-testing pensioners driving

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Last week a guy in his 70s down my road accidentally demolished a bit more of his wall driving into it as he's going blind. God knows what he's done when out and about. I drive 2 hours a day, lots on country lanes where is nsl and often someone turns into an road in front of me and I have to do an emergency stop. Reactions and awareness do decrease with age. Especially as there is a UN versal bus pas it doesn't seem that mean to me.

You are right, but it won't happen. That's a demographic that votes, and so do their middle-aged children.

YANBU but I'm biased having had the devil's own job to get my father's license revoked.

He has alzheimers, early stage Parkinsons and incredibly poor eyesight. The combination of the latter two has turned his once beautiful script to resemble the handwriting of a child. Regular re-testing would have dealt with the problem long before I was able to.

YANBU. I recall driving briefly with my father (formerly a superb driver) a few years before his death and while his eyesight was OK - with corrective glasses - his road sense and perception was all to heck.

I'm on the fence. On the one hand my dad continued driving way beyond what he should have. He had Parkinson's and his feet would completely freeze all of a sudden. He was also in the early stages of dementia. There's no way I would have got in a car with him in the last 6 months he was driving.

But I believe that statistically pensioners are safer drivers.

YABU

Or the entire motor insurance industry is wrong in how it sets its premiums.

I think everyone should be tested every 5 10 years.

YABU. I know a lot of over 65 year olds who drive completely safely. My 85 year old Aunt is still a brilliant driver. There's no more need to test this age group than any other.

If you think the bus service is so fantastic, why aren't you using it instead of driving?

AuntieStella

I rather suspect that there are a legion of elderly drivers who may have cars (for the sake of their 'independence' - a notion much cherished by my Dad) but who don't actually use them much. Or have the keys removed by more careful children under the guise of 'mislaying them'.

That would skew blunt insurance industry stats more than a little.

We had a old man nearly make us crash today so I support it..

First he slammed on his brakes on the parkway with a clear road infront of him, then when we started to come off onto a slip road he nearly drove into the side of us, we moved over then he decided not to join but to go straight ahead.

There was a news story last year of a 70 year old lady driving down the wrong side of the park way in our city another just stopped in the middle of the parkway.

No, no, no to being tested every 10 years. My driving is fine but I disintegrate into a complete nervous wreck under that level of scrutiny. I had to sit my test multiple times in the first place, without lessons in between. The issue was overcoming the nerves. One examiner kindly suggested I take tranquilisers before my next test .

I'm not using the bus service as I can't afford it (two bus services to get 26 miles to work and 14 pounds a day) and isn't regular enough to get me to work full time. If I was retired I'd love to give up the car tbh.

YANBU

My FIL is 76 and blind as a bat and can't navigate to save his life. He shouldn't be driving.

Also used to have an elderly, very infirm neighbour who could barely manage the few steps from his front door to his car. I used to cringe every time I saw him drive off.

Lots of people will still be working in their 70s.

GP s can still report anyone concerning them to the DVLA and plenty of people in their 70s are perfectly safe.
After all, not too many if them steal cars, drive without insurance and take to the wheel under the influence of drink and drugs.

I agree OP. One of my cars was written off by a 94 year old coming out of a side road when I was on a dual carriageway. Also, I am 70 next year, have driven mostly in London all my life and never caused an accident but when my last car died I decided not to replace it, knowing that my driving would only deteriorate as I age. I don't want to be responsible for killing someone on the road.

I also think we should all be tested on a regular basis but financially/politically that's never going to happen, is it?

Hmm I don't now. Do the statistics indicate that older people are a risk to themselves and to others on the road? I was under the impression that it's younger drivers who need closely regulating and monitoring, not older people.

It's a hard one to call because there are some older drivers who drive perfectly well and woulf be mightily pissed off (and rightly so) at having to retake their tests. But, ultimately I think yanbu because I have seen they way my grandparents drive now compares to say, ten years ago, and there is a massive difference, their reactions are so much slower and their eye sight is poorer. My grandfather really shouldn't be allowed on the road at all. His driving is just terrible.

I think we should be retested but maybe with a computerised reactions test which would remove the stress element but weed out the dangerous / half blind few who risk lives everytime they take to the roads!

A couple of years old not more risk than some other groups but this shows the most risky are the Middle aged drivers

Sorry posted wrong bit that will teach me that's number of drivers

Everyone should be retested every 10yrs then every 5 after you turn 60. Make the roads so much safer

Try again

I definitely think there should be regular medical checks, I live in Spain and it is compulsory to have eyesight etc... checked every 5 years!

I think it would be an ageist thing to do. But I definitely see your point. I am now terrified to get into the car with my gran,she was never the best driver but has really deteriorated. I think the only way to address this is mandatory retesting for everyone every 5 years or so. Although I would hate to be retested! I know I have sloppy driving habits, but I'm still a safe driver!