To think that maybe elderly drivers need to re take their driving test?

[lonelyonee]

Title is to grab attention although not far off my point. (Long post sorry!).
My AIBU is AIBU to think that if you are driving on the roads which are mostly 30 mph that you should be indeed doing or at the very least near to the speed limit?
I'm sure it is still classed as a minor on your driving test if you are going too slow in a particular speed zone right?

Driving on my way home just, I was stuck behind a car who was being driven by an elderly male. That's fine if he can drive safely (I've seen 100 year old drivers & am aware some are fantastic!). My issue is he was driving EXTREMELY slow, sporadically 25mph then slowing down to around 10mph at points where there was no need to slow down or go that slow. So as this is happening I'm obviously having to slow right down almost to a stop with tonnes of traffic behind me. That's fine, annoying but it's not forever as long as the person behind me is paying attention.
What really made me angry (and made me alert them to being dangerous with my horn) was that he sped up quite a lot on the approach and to go around a very small roundabout with very high visibility to then whack his breaks on as soon as he got around it (not indicating to turn into anywhere or pull over). Obviously I then had to also do the same, and so did the cars behind me.
Now I'm not being funny but it's very dangerous for me to be doing stops like that as I am currently pregnant and it worries me driving with the seatbelt being across my bump area (I do tuck it as far down as possible but it's still a worry for me).
I was not going excessively fast, in fact I was going fairly slow as I was now used to him also going very slowly & was taken aback when he sped up.
The response I had from him and what I presume was his wife was her waving her hand at me as though I was in the wrong.
I have a feeling he was purposely brake checking me here.

Now being pregnant and hormonal I'm aware I may be being unreasonable (hence this post) but to just pop the icing on the cake they had to little stickers in their back window. One read: "I hope your insurance is as good as your brakes" and the other something regarding tailgating.
Makes me wonder if he is a serial slow driver and often gets people alerting him to his dangerous driving? Or they do this for fun in rush hour traffic?

Final question off the back of this to stimulate debate, should pensioners have to re take their test when they reach a certain age? After experiencing this I believe they do indeed.
Thanks for reading. I look forward to your responses/thoughts etc...

I was nearly hit by a car driven by an elderly driver today while out for a run.

He simply wasn't looking properly, and shouldn't be driving! He looked like he was at least in his 80s.

Even after it being obviously his fault, he wound his window down and called me a stupid cow!

Crazy some people are on the roads.

@Snowmonster surely 30mph as required on blind bends, narrow roads, dreadful weather, but not 30mph as a normal speed on a decent rural NSL road??

We live rurally with all those things you mention and I rarely have to go 30 apart from some particularly bad stretches

You might as well say all pregnant women should have to retake their test as you are clearly getting all road ragey about a single incident (where nobody got hurt).

Retaking your test after an unsafe-driving conviction (as can happen now) regardless of age, seems like a better idea.

Completely disagree, it's the drivers of the expensive cars who think only they have the right to be on the road and zoom around everywhere who cause the accidents, along with those who drink and drive or take drugs and drive or text while driving. If you actually check with an insurance company who the most dangerous drivers are, it won't be the elderly.

I will say that some elderly people should not be driving because of a mixture of bad eyesight and dementia, but that's not an issue of retaking a test.

Every time I see a very slow driver on the roads, they are elderly

Often yes, but not always. It's just as often younger people fiddling with their mobile phones. You can see them doing it. Once/if they stop, they speed up.

@FuzzyPuffling so I'm being unreasonable that I was angry that another road use not only endangered me and my unborn baby but other road users behind me too?
Surely you'd be concerned at the very least by it? It scared me. Might be over dramatic but it did.

I might be in the elderly driver category as I am 72, nearly 73. I agree that a retest every 5 years at age 65, 70, 75, etc would be good. I do sit a test every 4 years as I drive a minibus so I'm fairly happy with my driving. I also have to have a medical every three years to keep driving the minibus and any other vehicle over 3.5 tonnes. I think everyone aged 65 or over should have a medical, maybe as a requirement for taking the test.

I think you would benefit from some refresher sessions yourself, OP. You could learn about defensive driving and the correct use of the horn

Google Road accidents in your area. If we went on facts, no male under the age of 25 should be given a licence. They are the main killers and maimers.

Then you've got the picks in their trophy vehicles, of all ages. But they tend to be predominantly male.

We leglislate on factual statistics, so old people wouldn't get a look in.

There was a BBC radio programme on this issue a few weeks ago.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002z8b

@Snowmonster fair enough I totally agree with you about driving to the conditions, and I would do what you do on country lanes/uneasy roads. This instance however was all normal 30mph roads and as I said it was sporadic slowing down for no reason, very random, as if he kept forgetting to use the accelerator or something? I couldn't quite figure it out as he wasn't looking around to find somewhere, he did clearly indicate at every turn which was good but nevertheless still quite dangerous when you have people behind you to keep almost coming to a complete stop.

Might be over dramatic but it did. You said it!
Would I be scared by someone driving at 25mph in a 30mph limit. No.

I think everyone should have to have top-up lessons every 5 years. For some people, this will trigger a test. I also think you should have to prove you can see properly regularly.

@John470322 ah that's great, love a good minibus! My Dad is in his late seventies and fair play to him he's a great driver, I always feel safe if I'm in the car with him. So yeah it's definitely not all elderly/older people.

Everyone should retake their test every 5-10 years.

I've recently been noticing drivers who manage to drive onto the other side of the road to turn left. I saw one driver who drove over to the right, into oncoming traffic, to do a left hand turn. In a Citroën c3.

Now if you actually think that is necessary in anything smaller than a bus, you're an idiot, dangerous on the road and should stop driving.

Watch out for these drivers, I'm noticing more and more of them. Dunno what they think they are driving. I've driven large vans before and never needed to do that.

@FuzzyPuffling I think you're misunderstanding? The part that scared me was the dead halt just after a small roundabout where people were also following behind me at my speed. The driver behind could have gone into the back of me, and as I've explained I am concerned about the seatbelt tightening with my bump.
If not then that's fine, but I'll continue to be concerned about my safety regardless.

A family member drives on a medical license and has send vision and health reports to the DVLA every three years so the infrastructure is already there.

Was the medical condition self-reported, Venger? Good for your family member, if so.

What concerns me is the reliance on self-reporting conditions that have a potential negative impact on driving capability. Routine, required eye tests and medicals ought to be in place for renewals.

Doubt the current infrastructure would cope with this, in addition to the ageing population. DfT struggle massively processing Fitness to Drive issues I.e medical issues impacting ability to drive. It would require a massive overhaul at the same time as adjustments to meet a very different motoring future. Current reliance on people to police their own driving ability is unlikely to change. Probably needs more family/health professional intervention if you’re aware of an older person who should not be driving.

@electricwhisk ooo thanks I'll check that out, it's certainly a great topic to discuss.
I think I'm just more aware of these things now I'm thinking about baby's safety also.

They did, they were diagnosed with their condition and the GP said they would need to notify the DVLA. They knew there was a chance they could lose their license but decided that risk was worth it to avoid potentially being the cause of a fatal accident or being arrested for dangerous driving.

Another family member has the same condition and did not tell the DVLA. First family member shopped them

@DisplayPurposesOnly hope you've read the whole post. I'd happily do a refresher if need be, I don't have to worry about my driving as I know I'm careful, and drive safely.
As for the horn use sure it may have been overkill in some people's opinion but I saw a danger and alerted them to it.
Possibly too many people using horns to just be aggressive so people don't realise that sometimes it's out of genuine concern?

@Venger @ShagMeRiggins yeah it would be great if everyone reported their medical conditions but unfortunately they don't all do it so they?
I've known people not let the DVLA know they've had changes to their eyesight and carry on driving. Goes without saying I at the time told them that they need to for these very reasons.
I think people are scared their license will be taken away and they will lose independence that's why they stay quiet.
But surely we should ensure people are safe to drive these big machines that can kill people? Isn't there a stat that more people die from RTC than guns per year or something?

YANBU even though NAEALT!* It’s pretty well known that your reactions slow down after a certain age, not to mention deteriorating eyesight, strength, general aches and pains. My lovely grandad used to drive for the elderly - I mean he was in his 70s and they were older (!) but he relinquished his licence when he realised he nodded off driving the car. Unfortunately just like we can make young men be more considerate drivers we can’t make unsafe elderly drivers relinquish their licences.

I’d be completely happy with mandatory retests and/or eye tests and medical tests at regular intervals. I’m 37, been driving for 18 years. It would make sense to do it at every ten years when the photo card of your licence expires.

*not all elderly are like that

Also sorry to hear about your accidents and near misses guys! It's horrible that we've all been in that position at some point or other, just wish people would be more careful but a lot don't care ☹️

My granddad was a horrendous driver, he used to live in Dorset (high hedges, blind bends) and drove a robin reliant. The only reason he got one? Because the body was fibreglass and he could repair it himself. He used to drive with just his thumbs at the bottom of the steering wheel, because it was closer to the various stalks.
When he moved to norfolk, he also bought a new car, thumbs still at the bottom of the steering wheel, nowhere near the stalks.
I followed him home once, he did 30 mph the entire time and went on the other side of the road on a blind right angle bend.
In the town where I live now, there are regular incidents of older folk pressing the wrong pedal and consequently driving into shop fronts.
I also knew an older lady who followed the white line, she straddled it.
Those who have scooters are a menace too.
Our one way system makes an ideal racetrack for boy racers.
It does seem that older folk are slower drivers, maybe it's because theres more traffic on the roads.