to think that driving ability should be re-tested at some point in old age?

[var123]

just that really.

www.itv.com/news/story/2016-02-12/eight-children-hit-by-car-outside-school-in-liverpool/

Even if it turns out that the woman involved in this case was generally fit to drive, there have been other accidents when you hear it was an 80+ person at the wheel driving up the wrong side of the motorway or something.

I know other drivers can be dangerous too, but in their case, its more usually that they are choosing not to drive safely at that moment than they can't, so its harder to test for.

Here's the list of health conditions that affect driving and may need reporting to the DVLA;

www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

"I don't think any elderly people who have been driving since pre driving test days (so people in their 80's, possibly younger) are safe to drive. They've never had to pass a test!"

The driving test was rolled out in UK in 1934 (Act) and 1935 (rollout).

So you'd have had to be born in 1918 or before to not have been required to take one (meaning about 98 now).

There was a WW2 exemption though, and if you had help a provisional or military licence for a specified wartime period, you could convert to full licence without a test. The youngest people to do this would have needed to be 17 by the end of the war for this, so born 1928, so around 88 now.

I live in an area with a very high proportion of older drivers. The amount of those who don't follow rules for roundabouts and junctions is absolutely terrifying. Whenever I get to a roundabout I have to ignore the fact I have right of way and wait to see if anyone is going to go regardless as 9/10 they do - with no indicators used! It scares the hell out of me.

I think older drivers should definitely be tested more regularly. It's not just delayed reactions, it's also understanding the rules of the road.

I agree.
But then, I'd make everyone convicted of drink/drug driving, excessive speeding and other serious crimes in a vehicle retake the test too.

I had a terrifying near miss on the motorway, when I was in the inside lane, approaching a junction where some other lanes merged. With about 100 metres to go, I look to my left and see a very elderly couple driving up the hashed lined area which was about to run out! I had a Lorry on my right, so nowhere to get out of the way, and they hadn't even seen me. I had someone behind me, so couldn't do any major braking.. God knows how they didn't cause a huge accident. I was both furious and petrified. They were completely unaware. Part of me wanted to follow them and tell them what they had done.
I didn't even remember their car reg as I was so shaken. Awful day.

I was filling in a form in yesterday to change my address on my driving licence and noticed there was a section for people who were re-applying for it at 70.

So maybe there is some kind of system now where you do have to be retested? Anyone know?

I have a feeling that it's just a renewal with new photo if needed and a self-certification that your eyesight (with correction if needed) is OK. Not any sort of test as such.

I'd welcome confirmation on that however.

Make your point by all means Trojan, but crossing my words out is just plain rude. I stand by them. Yes, bad drivers of all kinds and all ages, but this is a specific issue that we are discussing. YANBU OP.

You do have to reapply at 70, but it seems to be a 'Yes I am fit to drive' exercise, rather than involving any kind of practical test.

Here in Oz any person 80 yrs + requires a medical assessment every year to continue driving. It also used to be that when reaching 85 they had to sit a practical driving assessment as well. This has since been cancelled after research showed that the rate of accidents in this age group was extremely low.

However if you ride a motorcycle or use a light rigid class vehicle (LR) at 85+ then you will need both medical and practical driving assessment each year to maintain driving licence.

I'd love to see that research in full. I know, for example, that my own parents - both unfit to drive in the family's view (and we're pretty laid back) - both had full driving licences and newish cars. They just hardly drove at all, if ever. Their contribution to statistics about older car drivers is not unique I would guess.

Here's some interesting reading - www.brake.org.uk/too-young-to-die/15-facts-a-resources/facts/488-young-drivers-the-hard-facts
and www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/may/14/rac-highlights-teenage-driver-death-toll.
I also wonder if those who have posted about parents/relatives appalling driving have called the police to report anti social driving?

Young people, especially young males are many, many times more likely to be involved in fatal road accidents than the over 70s.

That's interesting Ozziefem. I did post earlier asking if anyone knew of countries where retesting was compulsory. I only managed to find a few states in the US and Canada.

I live in an area with a very high number of older drivers ,they have lots and lots of small accidents and very few of them ever report them to insurance companies .I was talking to an 89 year old still driving , his car is covered in bumps and scrapes but he was still proudly telling me that he had never claimed on his insurance !

Young drivers are more likely to have catastrophic accidents but believe me I think I probably see an incidence of bad driving by an older driver at least once every day and at least one minor accident every couple of days.Yesterday elderly driver going wrong way down one way street, day before man driving car at about 15 mph down duel carriageway.In the last year an elderly lady has driven through a shop window and another left her handbrake off in a carpark , left the car and it slid uncontrolled into two cars and narrowly missed a pushchair .

Around here driving instructors actually teach learners how to deal with unpredictable older drivers .

I do realise its difficult to give up that independence but something needs to be done

I think elderly people (and probably all of us actually) should be retested regularly. My grandmother has finally given up her car aged 83, after driving for years with deteriorating eyesight, comprehension and reaction times. The final straw was when she crashed with my teenage cousins in the back. Prior to that there had been a string of accidents over many years.

My great uncle was finally persuaded to give up his car when I needed a new one and we were able to say he was actually helping me and my daughter out by selling it to me (I consulted both of his sons on the agreed price to make sure they felt it was fair, he kept trying to give me a discount 'for family' which I didn't want). He had already been diagnosed with dementia and had self imposed a ban on night driving, but hadn't been safe on the roads for over a year.

And my step grandmother, who hadn't driven a car since the mid 1960s, on the death of her husband suddenly announced that she would start driving the car again. she had limited mobility (eg struggled to walk from car to front door) so would never have been able to successfully complete and emergency stop, or look around the vehicle properly when manoeuvring, but mainly she had no idea how to drive any car, let alone modern ones. We contacted her GP and the DLVA but because she held a license there was literally nothing we could do. Eventually her friend persuaded her by saying she deserved people driving her around at her age, not having to do it herself, but we were genuinely terrified she would just get in the car one day and try. Car is now sold.

So many of us have stories like this and when you know an elderly relative isn't safe there is very little you can do.

I think everyone should have to be retested every few years. I've seen some seriously crap driving, some of it downright dangerous, eg overtaking near blind bends (yes Mr Porche driver, you!), from people of all ages. Sure, I've noticed the elderly can often be slow off the mark, seem rather hesitant, but also that there are a huge number of arrogant twats (usually under 50s and male I have to say) making life-threatening maneuvres.

YANBU to think people should be retested YABU you restrict it to the elderly

This.

Probably the most dangerous drivers are young men.

Of course we should be retested every five years , that's a ridiculous waste of time and money.
However once people turn 70 I think the GP should have to certify annually if someone is medically fit to drive.

The problem is that those who only choose to drive badly, can also choose to drive well for a test.

However, those who can't help but drive badly, can't fake it for a test.

So, more frequent testing would screen out some but it wouldn't be perfect. However, if there was random testing on the lower risk groups - and comprehensive tests on the higher risk ones, then we'd all be a bit more careful not to fall into bad habits.

The government knows that after the age of 70, it becomes more and more likely that you'll be unfit to drive, that's why they make us renew our licences every 3 years but the method is the problem. Its up to the 70+ person to be able to see their reduced ability and they lie to themselves - it will be ok because I don't drive at night or I only drive on roads that I know and anyway i am not as bad as x and they still drive. Maybe the new google driverless cars are the solution?

Here to renew your licence at 75, 80 and every 2 years afterwards you must have a medical certificate and your GP can require you to do a test. However it is not perfect and my grandfather was allowed to keep driving well after he should have as the GP presumed he was only driving very locally and it was only when his children contacted the GP following a couple of close calls that the GP realised the extent of his dementia and deafness and informed equivalent of DVLA to revoke the licence. I also know of more than one extended family member who has continued to drive after their licence was revoked - one stole their caregivers car!

It is difficult though as it is giving up independence. My MIL fairly recently was persuaded to give up her licence as due to health issues she would not have been safe to drive although only in her 60's. She was very upset. She wouldn't be able to get herself to the car now so its a moot point but there was a brief period when she would possibly still have tried even though she wouldn't have been able to brake pr accelerate consistently (e.g may have put the pedal to the floor in a 20 zone).

The young, typically male, drivers involved in accidents is down to them thinking they are invincible, in control and showing off, elderly drivers think they are still perfectly capable as they have driven for years.
I've been driving for almost 20 years now and whilst I no doubt have bad habits, since having my DD I am so much more aware of other drivers as I can only control my own vehicle.
Last week I was approaching a roundabout that you have to stop part way round as lane that crosses it has right of way. I was in right lane to turn right. Woman who looked my age was in left lane. Assuming either to turn left of go straight on. Both pulled off at same time. Both had a lane each and plenty of space. Silly bitch decided to drive in a straight line! Completely dissecting my bloody lane before getting back in her own to go straight ahead. Seemed oblivious to what she had done. If I hadn't reacted in time and stopped my car she would of took out the front passenger side of my car.

Unfortunately there are many people who drive dangerously. Regardless of age.

To all those who point out young males are much more dangerous - no one disagrees, but why would testing them again get them off the roads?
They passed a test recently (by definition of their age), so they can drive well, if they want to. They know what to do but some of them just don't bother.

Firstly because driving today can be very different to the minimum traffic of someone who passed a test 60yrs ago.

But face it, it's not as if someone passes their test in 1960 and then finds that traffic in 2016 is a total revelation to them. They've had a hell of a lot more time to get used to that traffic than someone who passed their test yesterday.

You may well be right, OP, about younger male drivers, but there is still a better case for retesting them than for older people; or maybe for imposing a condition that they are never allowed to go above a certain speed or drive after 8 p.m.