Elderly drivers should be tested

[HeidiHoNeighbour]

91 year old killed a 3 year old in Edinburgh.
She’s been arrested.

Where I live (NW London) lots of elderly drivers are scarier than the teens racing.

A woman was killed in Sainsbury’s car park near me and the 80ish year old was upset he’d be late!

I think everyone should be retested every ten years.

A free bus pass is useless around here. There aren't any busses.

Well that sucks, but it's not the case a lot of places. Peoples 'freedom' (plenty survive without cars of all ages) isn't more important than ensuring they are safe to be on the roads. You could argue that anyone at any age is a danger, and of course that's true, but there are plenty of instances where slower reaction times etc as happen to some as they get older have caused accidents, and surely people would be happy to do a test if they're confident in their driving.

jeez,
first the virus, stay indoors
now you want to take away any remaining freedom

What, you mean the freedom to mow people down with a car?

I agree parents live in Spain and over 70 you have to do a driving simulation and have an eye test to have your licence renewed every 3 or 5 years can't remember which

Most road fatalities involve drivers under the age of 25

This is a rubbish argument. There are probably many more under 25 year olds on the road. Plus, younger drivers will be getting better at driving, older drivers will be getting worse.

A friend of mine's dad had dementia, his car was a terrible issue. He would get really angry if he wasn't allowed it drive it and was once caught going the wrong way down a dual carriageway. The car was sold and he went out and bought another car. Admittedly, his is a separate issue to just deteriorating driving skills. He couldn't understand that he couldn't drive.

Unless and until there is a suitable alternative that allows the elderly to get about, any initiative is doomed to failure. (Just in case people are wondering why this wasn't tackled 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, or 30 years ago).

With a growing older population any move to reduce peoples independence - even it it saves lives - isn't going to happen.

And we've already sold our collective souls in the argument over lives and the economy. So this is just arguing over the price.

Yes totally agree. My Nan is a complete liability and shouldn’t be driving. She won’t give up and we can’t make her as there’s nothing medically or physically stopping her from being able to drive.
She was experiencing double vision for a while and at that point we were able to stop her but once she has tests and got the all clear, she was back on the road. She nearly ran my husband off the road once with my baby son in the car. He was driving and he saw a car coming towards him that looked like it didn’t have a driver and the car drifted into my husbands side of the road. He had to swerve, all of a sudden, the head appeared and it was my Nan. She’d bent over to get something from the glove compartment.

My other nan drives, she has sight problems but gets her sight tested regularly and she is still within the driving limits. She struggles on bright days and in the dark so she refuses to drive if she think the conditions will affect her driving. I would trust her with my kids in the car, she’s a very good driver.

It may be that most accidents happen with under 25s but realistically most incidents involving elderly drivers will be either dangerous driving with no accident taking place, low speed accidents which cause little damage and most likely go unreported or the other vehicle gets into an accident overtaking where they wouldn't dream of usually but they can't stand to be behind them anymore. Mostly, that could be an inexperienced under 25!

My two Son in laws drive too fast, so do their male friends (all under 34). One caused the death of two elderly people with no consequence. I can't help feeling that if people drove at the speed they were supposed to (including slowing down in adverse weather) and gave enough room, then reaction time wouldn't be as big an issue.

I'm in favour of more active cameras and penalties. Elderly drivers aren't my worry when I'm trying to crose roads with my GC. They also aren't the issue in car parks.

This would be a civil liberties issue, the statistics don't show the need for it. That is what we need before we single out a specific group and curtail their rights and liberty.

Well that sucks, but it's not the case a lot of places

Er.. yes it is.

www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/30/number-bus-journeys-england-fall-85m-in-a-year

And before you kick off, declining bus journeys is not because people take cars. They take cars because the service are so limited.

@Choochoose

It should start from the age you can get a free bus pass.

In a lot af areas that’s 60. People in their 60s are not ‘elderly’ and many of them need to drive TO WORK!

How about we have a go at young harassed parents, rushing everywhere distracted with children screeching in their ears? We could certainly ask the ones near me, double parking and reversing out onto the main road, knocking down walls and terrifying pedestrians to take a safety test.

Again, most road deaths involve the under 25s. Of course people who are actually ‘elderly’ should have their fitness to drive monitored more closely, which they do.

@Ponoka7

Maybe I’ve titled the thread wrong.

Where I live the biggest inconvenience in the roads are elderly drivers.

However, by saying that everyone should be tested every ten years I’m not singling our one group of drivers.

In a lot af areas that’s 60. People in their 60s are not ‘elderly’ and many of them need to drive TO WORK!

It's state pension age now, it used to be 60 across the board, now it's 65.

@Choochoose

It should start from the age you can get a free bus pass.

Should it?

I have a (never used) bus pass. Thanks to my dreadful, delayed elderly reactions the other day the 20 something who rode his bike out right in front of me was unscathed.

Most of the atrocious driving I see round here isn’t by older drivers.

But then you'd be fine @VinylDetective, 70 or even 80 is probably a fairer age, the bus pass was just to illustrate that there's a viable alternative for many who see it as a lost of their independence, and at no cost so it's accessible regardless of financial status. Tests for everyone 10 years is also a good plan, I wouldn't mind taking it.

**Again, most road deaths involve the under 25s. Of course people who are actually ‘elderly’ should have their fitness to drive monitored more closely, which they do.

But they don’t.

My old neighbour hit a cone and dragged it under her car for 300 yards until she stopped.
When she told me, I took her keys and informed her son I had.

She’s just been reissued with her license.

It’s a form you fill in at home.

Not an actual test.

I agree that there should be stricter controls. My dad switched to an automatic car as he thought it better for him, only to discover it's easier to crash! After he knocked down both a wall and his garage (both were months after I'd started nagging him to give up and get taxis) he started saying he might need to stop (!)

What finally did it thank goodness was the insurance going up to £1500. I nearly rang them up and thanked them - but it was only a month after my own GP said I should report him to DVLA!

For a couple of years I was petrified he was going to run someone over... I only hope I'm sensible at that age should I be lucky enough to make it to 80+...

Personally, having been on a Speed Awareness Course, and finding it of great benefit for 3 hours, I'd happily see a requirement that all drivers pay for and take one every 10 years. A small price for the privilege of being allowed to drive. It would be about £10 a year. You probably spend more on in car air freshers.

Ideally such a system could pick up on older drivers too ?

Can't see it happening though (awaits a flood of posts that are "all about me") ...

dicksplash
I think most people over 70 should probably stop driving. Even an online hazard perception/reaction test would be a good start.

My husband has just turned 70 and is one of the safest drivers I know. He's an advanced driver and for many years taught motorcyclists to ride.
Another bloody ageism thread on mn. Statistics prove that its the younger, inexperienced drivers who cause the most accidents which is why insurance companies charge them more.
I think that everyone should have to have a re test in a simulator every few years and a re sit of their theory test

@Choochoose

But then you'd be fine *@VinylDetective*, 70 or even 80 is probably a fairer age, the bus pass was just to illustrate that there's a viable alternative for many who see it as a lost of their independence, and at no cost so it's accessible regardless of financial status. Tests for everyone 10 years is also a good plan, I wouldn't mind taking it.

A bus pass ain't no use if there's no buses.

Sure ain’t.

As a healthcare worker i know of many elderly people that continue to drive well beyond what is safe. Their families often ask us for help, particurly when some degree of dementia is involved but they dont have a formal diagnosis. I really believe some basic tests such as visual acuity, cognitive test and reading road signs such be reintroduced after a certain age and if you dont pass then its not an automatic driving ban but a practical test / review of driving . Many individuals are unable to see or acknowledge they are no longer safe to drive so they need to be supported to do so by other means

My dh was driving to work recently and the car coming the opposite way swerved into him and smashed the mirror off. Said driver stopped and got out of her car ranting at my dh.
He explained that it was her that had swerved over to him and it was all caught on his dashcam, she was very elderly and was wearing huge fluffy slippers.
The police went round to speak to her about wearing appropriate footwear but she is still driving round the village, I have seen her numerous times and each time she is driving in a way that would be regarded as dangerous.
Took ages to go through the insurance as well as her car was through motobility and they were not the quickest at responding to any letters.

My FIL still drives. He passes the eye test etc but his hazard perception and reaction times are terrible. His accidents haven't been reported as they have, so far, been low speed and not affected anyone else so he has just paid for the dents to be fixed. A relative reported their concerns to the DVLA a few months before his licence came up for renewal. It got renewed no questions asked.

Definitely agree, one of my elderly neighbours (well in her 80's and barely able to walk) still drives and every time I see her go out I fear for her, and other people's safety. She can barely manoeuvre her car in and out of an easily accessible parking space and rarely bumps over the corner of the kerbs so I dread to think what she's like on the open road or how she'd respond to needing to stop suddenly.
I actually think all drivers should have to sit some sort of refresher test every 5-10 years. Even if it wasn't a pass/fail sort of test it would pick up on bad habits and also any changes to rules since people originally passed their test - my 70yr old mother is adamant that the speed limit on a dual carriageway is 60 not 70mph!

People in their 60s are not ‘elderly’ and many of them need to drive TO WORK!

Fine, they may not be elderly, but I couldn't care less about any body's need to drive to work, to the shops, or anywhere else. That doesn't trump other people's safety. They can get buses, or taxis, or failing that move house to somewhere more accessible.