Driving Tests every 25 years?

[Scrambledeggyegg]

I’m learning to drive right now... I’m in my mid 30s. I think everyone should have to retake their driving test every 25 years. To both raise revenue and get higher standards of driving. I feel if you have nothing to improve then nothing to worry about. If you’re good enough to pass the test you deserve to drive on the road. If not, then buses for you.

Do you have a driving licence?

Mandatory retests after 25 years seems overly dogmatic, the really bad drivers will eventually end up with points and a ban.

That said, there are 2 situations where I think retests are warranted:

If you haven't driven for a significant length of time - say 20 years? A friend of mine returned to driving having passed her test at 20 and had not driven since and was an absolute liability on the road.

Over a certain age - say 80? - retests every 5 years or so. It's a fact that the ability to drive safely declines at that age.

Haha so many defensive drivers on here. Should all do an IAM or RoSPA course. It would open the eyes to just how poor the standard of driving is and how much safer our roads could be.

Amazing how so many point the finger at cyclists but fail to acknowledge that they could improve themselves.

@CapMarvel

If you haven't driven for a significant length of time - say 20 years? A friend of mine returned to driving having passed her test at 20 and had not driven since and was an absolute liability on the road.

This actually isnt a bad idea but I would put it at 5/10 years off the road then a retest even if it was just a mandatory refresher

It's not a pandemic issue unfortunately. I did my first test in 2016, waited 3 months for the date, failed. Then had to wait another 4 months for the next date, failed again and then another 3 months and finally passed in 2017. No pandemic in 2016/17 from what I remember..

Yes, and?

Just curious to how valid your opinion is

Ah right, so if I had never been a driver, only a pedestrian/cyclist/equestrian etc. I should have no say on road safety, even though I would be among the group of road users most vulnerable to the drunken/speeding morons.

All road-users opinions are valid when it comes to road safety. It doesn't matter if you walk, cycle, ride, drive a car or drive a bus.

I'm trying to get an elderly relative (90s) to stop driving.

He is dangerous on the road... Either way too fast /slow... Doesn't anticipate what other drivers may do... Doesn't judge speed /distance well.... Doesbt notice pedestrians.

Seems he is STILL legal to drive, I spoke to his testing opthalmic optician.... He passed this... ALL he had to do was read the equivalent of a number plate at usual distance(the electronic equivelent) ... Which he could do....

So no tests of perception, speed, anticipation, - essentially cognitive functioning....

But as long as he can physically see...

It's a hideous accident waiting to happen. He's had loads of minor ones lately. He has no insight and always says it's the othet person's fault... Memorably when the other vehicles were unoccupied.

Dvla will do nothing - he has no notifiable medical conditions....

@DdraigGoch @Lockheart

No. People without a licence shouldnt have a say on if those with licences should be retested after a set amount of years

They should limit the number of licences that are valid at any one time. Basically say everyone who has a licence now can keep it, but no new licences will be issued and people who want to learn to drive will have to buy a licence from an existing holder. This would encourage those who no longer really need to drive to sell their licence to make some cash.

It would be like the housing market, people who wwere born at the right time would be better off at the expense of others. There could be a system where you could rent your licence out, I didn't drive for a few years so maybe could have rented my licence to someone who needed it.

As the population grows there would always be more demand than supply, so licence costs would be pushed ever higher.

That's just stupid. Of course they have a say, they use the roads in some way unless housebound. Of course they can judge other drivers, it's quite easy to see a shit driver. Are you worried you wouldn't pass or something? 😊If not, you have nothing to be worried about. Minimal cost to yourself to retake a test every 10 years, probably like £50 which considering you're driving and able to afford a car, you should be capable of saving that up over 10 years. Especially if your insurance keeps reducing because you're a good driver.

I am a good driver.

14yrs+ no claims on a motorbike
5yrs no claim on a car. would be more but didnt get my own car for a few years after I past my test

My insurance prices reflect this. Maybe we should just take that as I dont need to be retested.

While were at it shall we also include pilots to retest periodically

yup!!

the experience you get from years of driving , navigating rush hour , motorways , driving abroad , nighttime driving , adverse weather etc etc is not something you can learn from a few driving lessons

There should be more traffic Police and more enforcement of drivers without licences or who are driving while disqualified as well as bad a dangerous driving instead of making us all take a test every 25 years.

While were at it shall we also include pilots to retest periodically

Eh? Commercial pilots are regularly retested. Private pilots have to fly a minimum number of hours each year or their licence expires.

Just you concentrate on getting your licence instead of attempting to police everyone else who's already got their licence. Good luck!

Absolutely.

Then there's police, ambulance, fire services etc and public transport.

Road Craft is a bit of a police 'go to' yet very few even know what it is, let alone the principles for good driving.

Current earliest slot for a test at my local centre? 1st February. That's over 21 weeks away.

So no, we shouldn't be asking competent drivers to test again.

That won't get people off the road, someone I know drove into a bollard on his first test and then passed his second about 6 weeks later.
People aren't going to drive for 25 years, go to the effort of doing the test and then say "ah well I won't rebook".
All it will do is make waiting lists much longer.

Don't be silly. People without licences are still road users.

Great comparison, pilots are tested periodically. Glad to see you're on board with the plan then. 😂Or would you prefer your pilots are not tested regularly?

You are safe now, apparently. I don't know that for certain, but I treat everyone on the road equally anyway. Anyone could be an idiot, I assume that at all times because it keeps me safe. You could lose your judgement in 10 years time but refuse to believe that and keep driving until you kill someone. You might not even be safe now, you just haven't been caught.

You might not even be safe now, you just haven't been caught

I suppose that would depend on your definition of safe. I drive fast depending conditions of the road . I dont speed excessively.

Alot of users on here deem 1mph over the limit unsafe. I'm clearly not one of them .

In the unlikely event of periodically being tested I would modify my driving then carry on as normal

After moving to Spain I actually did have to re-take my driving test (thanks, Brexit!) and actually found the whole thing really interesting once I was done being annoyed.

It was 17 years after I'd first got my licence, and 10 years in countries where we drive on the right, so that didn't require any 'getting-used-to'.

Looking around the drivers here, I'd be thrilled if there were some kind of compulsory refresher. Not a full test like the first time around, but something to stay connected with the rules of the road. There a lot of people who THINK they know what they're doing, and would be posting with outrage on a thread like this... 😂