to support the idea of re-testing pensioners driving

[dhdjdbrjrkbr]

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.

[OnIlkleyMoorBahTwat]

Many retired people won't drive very often - local town 2 or 3 times a week sort of thing, so their annual mileage will be very low, which will skew the accident stats.

I fully support regular eye tests and safety awareness courses for everyone. I did a speed awareness course that was half a day in a classroom and half a days driving. If everyone did this, every 10 years, anyone found to be a poor driver could be referred on to a longer course as a condition of keeping their licence.

There needs to be more emphasis on stopping people using their phones at the wheel too.

[fluffyraggies]

Young drivers are undeniably the highest risk group, and many of their accidents are speed related. The elderly driver tends more to lurch from near miss to near miss on a daily basis.

Looking at the actual statistics for the accident rates of older drivers as a measure of how dangerous they are, or are not, is misguided because the fact is everyone else on the road are often managing to get out of their way at the crucial moment, and thereby avoiding an accident.

[fluffyraggies]

Sorry i think i've just repeated what patrician basically said

[Tingatingatale]

My granddad continued driving until my nan died. It was only after his death he admitted now bad his sight was. She would navigate and he would drive. This involved a few trips a year which were hundred mike trips along motorways and big junctions. He also drove to the shop along lanes every day. He hasn't driven since. He hated that he was driving but she insisted a retest wohld have stopped that

[outtolunchagain]

I haven't read the whole thread however I live in a small town which is a popular place to retire to and as a consequence there are a high number of older drivers and I would fully support testing , I also have young drivers in the family and would support more support for them too .

Older drivers in my experience have a lot of small bumps , lots of cars here are covered in bumps and scrapes. They often don't report these for fear of higher premiums or a fear of losing their licence.

Recent observed incidents include a parked car sliding down the hill in a carpark and hitting another car ;the driver had forgotten to put the handbrake on.Another lady who drove through the window of a children's clothes shop and cars regularly drive the wrong way down the market hill .

The worst thing is that when they fi ally relinquish their licence lots get motor scooters and as the still can't see there are lots of accidents with those too .

[Hillingdon]

It's a difficult one, I have a DS just learning to drive, when he passes his test he will be using my car and I have rules. No more than one passenger, no eating in the car, definitely no smoking etc.

I agree with all, it's the incidents that are avoided that is most worrying. We live in an area that has a high level of elderly drivers who drive into a parking space because they find it difficult to turn their neck. They just drive eyes forward with no idea of what is going on around them.

My idea is that after 70 funded by the driver they take a test. If they don't like it then no driving....

[Moniker1]

Parents driving with fighting dCs in the back, is their attention fully on the road?

[SirChenjin]

Anyone with any distraction in the car is not going to be fully attentive.

[Hillingdon]

My FIL in his late 70's and a good driver states that there are too many old folks who decide to live in the middle of nowhere and then one gets I'll or cannot drive, it's 10 mins drive to get a pint of milk etc and wonder where it all goes wrong!

[Tobyjugg]

YANBU. It should be an annual test after 75. Never happen. We oldies vote. No party is going to piss off the grey vote.

[TedAndLola]

All these anecdotes about pensioners causing accidents are really irritating. A pensioner crashed into my car and wrote it off, a 35 year old crashed into my car and my husband ended up in hospital. That is not a reason to cast doubt on the driving abilities of all 35 year olds.

If you're going to single out an age group for mandatory re-testing, make it men under 25 and get them tested each year, since they are FAR more likely to have a crash than a pensioner.

[Hillingdon]

I really dont agree with testing under 25 they will only just have passed their test! Their insurance costs will be huge. Of course if they don't have insurance that is a different matter and they should be removed from the road immediately. And tagged. Sorry but it seems people who are banned just feel they have nothing to lose if they get banned again. You have to catch them driving and that's the issue.

The police just don't have the manpower to cover this off

[ifgrandmahadawilly]

YA most certainly NOT bu.

I can't believer my 83 year old grandma still drives. She can't see a bloody thing.

Ditto my next door neighbour, also in her mid 80's with vascular dementia (tbf she doesn't actually go out in her car, I've just seen her move it between her garage and the back lane).

It's nuts. I mean, how many people actually get to 70 / 80 without major health problems that would inibit their driving? eg eye problems, motor problems, danger of heart attack / stroke etc.

[PatricianOfAnkhMorpork]

That's ok fluffy

[Moniker1]

The publicity in the media feeds the 'elderly driver mounts pavement' headlines but I've never happened upon such a thing but I've come across written off cars driven too fast by younger people, as they are pulled out of fields, many a time.

Have also worked attached to A/E, the mangled bodies are nearly always due to young drivers, or lorries, or motorbikes, not old drivers.

[newgirl]

Definitely should. Good drivers will pass so they've nothing to worry about. Two accidents near us one a fatality of very elderly people mounting pavements. A very old man drove into side of me as misjudged distance pulling out. Should retest at 70.

[Hovis2001]

I am (hopefully - pending my driving test!) going to be getting my first car soon and as a 'younger' driver a lot of the cheaper insurance quotes come with black boxes which track your driving (and adjust your premium accordingly). Initially I didn't entirely like the idea of having my driving 'monitored' but upon thinking about it I've come to feel that the pressure of my insurance being partially tied to the quality of my driving can only be a good thing. I think there'd be the temptation otherwise to 'turn off' a bit after the test.

Personally I think a good solution might be to have more and more insurance policies - for all age groups - coming with black boxes to monitor driving. Potentially if you drove really badly it could trigger the need for a re-test or a driving review of sorts? But it could also help discourage reckless driving in all age groups (which a short test wouldn't really prevent).

[TedAndLola]

I really dont agree with testing under 25 they will only just have passed their test! Their insurance costs will be huge.

Their insurance costs are huge because they are likely to cause an accident. Pensioners have low insurance costs because they are unlikely to. That's why it's silly to pick on pensioner drivers as an age group, and not young people (especially male).

[Hillingdon]

Hovis, i like the idea of a black box. If you are driving fine you have nothing to fear but somehow we will end up with people whinning, rather like ID cards!

[echt]

*I have an issue with the accident stats. We all know that older drivers are statistically safer due to less accidents. But this doesn't account for two things:

1. the driver not reporting the accident to their insurance company
   
2. them causing an accident due to dangerous driving but not actually being in it themselves.
   
   I actually think they probably cause a huge amount of accidents or near-misses to those who are actively trying to avoid whatever dangerous manouvre they've just pulled.*
   
   So let's ignore the laboriously gathered and analysed statistics based on sound methodology and go with what you, personally think.
   
   

[Turquoisetamborine]

An 82 yr old woman in our town recently knocked someone over on a zebra crossing whilst going the wrong way down a one way street. She didn't notice the woman was under her car until 20 feet later with passers by shouting at her. A group of school children were waiting to cross and could have been wiped out.

The police have given the old lady her licence back. How can this be? Of course they should be retested over 75. You hear stories like this over and over.

My grandma used to forget where she had parked her car and we used to have to go searching for it until we persuaded her to give up driving.

[Bonbonbonbon]

I don't get what the big fuss is about retesting. In the States, we have to renew our driving licenses every 5 years. This entails taking a short written test and an eye exam. I can't remember if you also get a new photograph.

[Hillingdon]

Sorry, I have to agree that it's elderly drivers who don't make claims...I use a supermarket that has probably 60 % elderly drivers. Their driving without fail is awful. It is also next to a school.

[echt]

Hillingdon how do you know they don't make claims?

Have you compared this the under-65s, who you also don't know who do/don't make claims?

[grovel]

It's tricky. My grandmother drove until the year she died at 86. But she knew her limitations. She drove only one route (to the local village two miles away) to shop, visit the doctor, friends etc. She never drove at more than 25 mph! I think she was probably very safe and anyway any accident would have been low impact. She would never have passed a test which involved town driving or dual carriageways etc. Taking her car away would have meant that she would have had to move house which would have been tragic.