To think a cometency driving test should be done at retirement-ish age?

[hidinginthenightgarden]

A few weeks ago I read about a crash caused by an old lady who tried to over take a tractor but couldn't go fast enough and ended up knocking a lady off her bike. Her husband then ran over his wife and killed her. It was one of many incidents I have heard of where people of a certain age cannot drive fast enough (or safe enough) to be on the roads. Yesterday I saw a man on the motorway doing 50mph in a brand new landrover. My own Grandfather gave up driving on the motorway when he felt uncomfortable driving the required speed - sensible, but others will not want to lose their "freedom" so won't make such decisions.
Shouldn't there be some sort of competency test around age 65/70 to test you are still able to see far enough, drive fast enough on a motorway and so on? Or if deemed fairer, maybe we should all have to do one every 10 years until we reach 65 and then it becomes every 5 years?

My DM is 80 and an excellent driver.

My 40 year old sister on the other hand is awful and always has been.

Shit drivers should be kept off the road.

Even if I agreed OP if you put all older drivers through another driving test most would have aged another 10 years waiting their turn and waiting time for new drivers to test is already long enough.

Absolutely nothing wrong with doing 50 or 60 on a motorway.

To be honest, I think everyone should be given a test of competency every 5-10 years. I know it would up the cost of driving, and the administration of such, but it would take so many of the rubbish and unsafe drivers off the road. A car is essentially a killing machine, and we’re far too lackadaisical about it.

Yabu. Statistically, young drivers are far more dangerous. Shall we insist on an IQ test? Or a common sense test?

A statutory eye test every three years might be sensible but otherwise no. You are blatantly ageist.

Quite a few young drivers do try to go at the national speed limit on rural roads as our A&E and local funeral parlours can attest to.Older drivers take less risks and know better.
I agree with the eye test.though.

Absolutely!!
My own grandfather was driving up until 86, when he passed away. He could have had a stroke at any second! He had a blue badge due to movement restrictions. He was unsafe behind the wheel and a potential danger to others. His movement was not fully functioning and his responses slow. I loved him dearly, but I did think it was selfish to compromise other road users safety for his freedom. Again, loved him very much. Just my own opinion. Absolutely agree that we should all be tested more regularly, especially older people. And those who have moved to the UK from abroad where rules of the road / standards are different

seniorschoolmum you are (probably) wrong. Statistically there are more accidents in total by youngsters but the 75+ are more dangerous as, per mile driven, they are most likely to have a crash that injures or kills someone. At least in America anyway. Can’t find the data for the U.K. but I imagine it would be similar. I showed a red bar chart several pages ago which shows this.

Found it! U.K. publication 2018

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/706517/older-car-drivers-factsheet.pdf

On page 3 there’s a chart which shows crashes per mile driven. Climbs rapidly at age 70 and shoots up after 80.

I think everyone Should have to retake every 10 or 15 years to be honest. There seem to be a lot of drivers out there who are dangerous

It depends on what the competency test involved and I don't think it should be automatic at retirement age. Failing someone on stupid things like having to parallel park first time, reversing around the corner would be pointless (as would failing for crossing your hands on the steering wheel). If it was to do with road knowledge, eyesight and reactions then maybe.

I do agree- but it should be much later than 60 as the vast majority of 60 somethings are still in good physical and mental health. Maybe 75? They should also be looking at vision, hearing, and physical and mental capacity to slam on the brakes in event of an emergency.

The body does begin to decline in later years. Silly to pretend otherwise, and I’d rather not have my kid run over on the way to school for the sake of political correctness.

I don’t know why anyone would object TBH. If your Aunti Marge is still an excellent driver in her 80s, then there’s nothing to fear from an assessment.

Perhaps sleep deprived mothers of newborns would benefit from a re-test before they are let loose on the road - particularly if they have those daft stickers in the back window.

60 year olds are not old. Retirement age is now 67. Are you saying that those people who drive for a living are incapable?

Tests should be taken at 70-75, no need before.

If a driver feels that 50 is the safe speed for them to be driving their vehicle on the motorway then what is the issue? Perhaps overtake?
I think we run the risk of making the world a very sad place by heaping rule on rule until you need to be tested and certified before you can scratch your bottom!
Part of driving is being aware of hazards and that includes other drivers who may be unaware or behave erratically. I suspect that anyone who "seeds bad driving everywhere" may be responsible for some too!

K1233 l think you have a valid point in certain circumstances. However - due to being in rented premises, and landlords wanting to sell, l moved four times in three years, and therefore had to renew my licence due to change of address. l don't think that would have been a reasonable use of resources for me to have to take retake my test every time.
l did work with a lady whose 93 year old mother in law was still driving, though. Apparently one day she drove from her small village to the nearby town to go to the shops. She told my colleague on the phone that it 'hadn't felt right' but she couldn't explain why. When they checked, she had the drivers seat fully reclined, but hadn't realised, she just thought something felt odd! l can't imagine she would have passed a test, and her family stopped her driving after that.

scifi My understanding is that one of the rules of advanced driving is that you need to make progress where safe to do within the law. Driving at 50 on a motorway is the opposite of that. I Have a feeling there is something in the Highway Code about making reasonable progress but I confess I can't face checking. Anyway driving at 50 you are a moving road block who will cause others to have to change their expected behaviours and increase their risk levels through overtaking.
All of which is a long winded way of saying if you can only drive at 50 on a motorway in a normal car you aren't competent enough to be on the road, you place yourself and others at risk by being so.

I think all drivers would benefit from retesting every five or ten years. It's worrying how many awful and/or stupid drivers there are out there.

I personally think a mandatory oap retest is ageist and insulting and ignores the many idiots between 18-69 who are merrily dicking about causing chaos. My father is 84 and absolutely fine to drive. He looks and acts a lot younger than his age and still enjoys driving a high performance car when he gets the chance. He's the go-to driver out of the three of us (mum's 68, I'm 28) because he's the most comfortable at the wheel and actually likes driving. He's spent his entire life working with and appreciating cars and instilling me with a healthy respect for how dangerous bad driving can be- including slow drivers and older people who are no longer confident on the road- he is not unaware of this. He is very proactive with vision and health checks and lives in absolute terror of being involved in an accident, because even if he's not the one who caused it, he's worried some po faced moron with a brass button will see his age and that'll be it. However, I know he would also be the first person to hand in his licence if it came to it. He wouldn't risk it.

However, as a counter to the above, I would like to see mandatory eye tests introduced and automatic withdrawal of licence for dementia, as I think these are problems. I don't see what good a mandatory re-test would do to people other than upset them into making silly mistakes and losing out on years of freedom. I was awful, taking my test. Nerves really took over.

I would say yes as some people as they get much older are very dangerous, because they don't have the same reactions, and eyesight etc etc. But I would say re-test people at 75, or 80. not blimmin' 60.

Some people are saying 'my uncle percy is 103, and is an amazing, safe driver!' If that is the case, then he needn't worry about being retested right?

@op. I would be interested in watching you drive, just to make sure you are absolutely perfect. 65/70 is ridiculous. Maybe 75/80

I agree, in Australia there are lots of restrictions on young drivers, it's the older drivers causing accidents. My mum is in her 70s and I won't let her drive with my kids in the car.

dreichuplands,
50 is hardly failure to make progress. There old be all kinds of reasons that would be appropriate from prevailing wind conditions, passenger comfort, internal load distribution etc. We really don't need to be throwing money at re-test programmes or mandatory "advanced driver training" what is needed is for all drivers to be considerate and aware, not least that some other drivers may not be fully aware and may do something unexpected.

Mental's idea is absolutely insane. I'm 34 & I've been driving 17 years... yet with that idea I'd still have another year of driving accompanied... can't see how that would work at all!!