AIBU to think drivers (more so elderly) need to be retested?

[ayonoosh]

I know I'll probably get lumped with being ageist here. I want to preface I think all drivers should be tested after perhaps 10 years but once at retirement age or 70s, every few years?

I live in a town that's predominantly one way. In the past 7 days I have seen 2 elderly drivers run red lights. One elderly driver go the wrong way up a very well signed street, with other drivers beeping and flashing and they just kept going, one elderly driver driving on the opposite side of the road going onto a short duel carriage way (!!) and an elderly driver drive down the middle of the bollards in Tesco.

this isn't an unusual amount of it too, there are so many posts on the local community pages with cars and registrations and people posting about it. It is so incredibly dangerous. We have a uni in town too and have our fair share of young drivers, I do see them hurtling around town at stupid speeds but they aren't as common as the elderly drivers reported.

I know young drivers cause more crashes, but elderly people tend to have low mileage bias, I think if they drove mile for mile the stats may differ. Elderly drivers responsible for deaths have increased by 42% in the last decade.

AIBU to think mandatory testing for all, especially for elderly should be implemented? I know the money, time, stubbornness, etc etc make it unrealistic, and there are terrible drivers of all ages of course. But if age related reaction times are something that doesn't apply to you, then surely it's a tick box activity and back to driving?

im seeing increasingly more elderly pootling at 50 in the middle lane on the M25, as well as stupid taxi drivers doing it too. they ought to be retested too.

what's everyone's thoughts?

This question comes up regularly, along with "should the minimum age be raised to 18", and "should we ban all cars", as Ken Livingstone so wanted to do? In an ideal world, maybe there is a case for retesting not just the elderly, but any drivers.

However, in the real world, it's still a wait of months and months and months for learners to get a driving test, never mind the elderly who keep living longer and longer. We don't have the examiners to carry out the tests, the police to enforce this, and the prison places for the elderly drivers who will repeatedly ignore the rules, and will say to the police arresting them "I've been driving since before you were even thought of".

I’d agree. I know an elderly lady who dragged her car along the side of another they had just pulled in to check direction and weren’t properly parked. She didn’t even notice! Family have banned her from driving which she has accepted but honestly could of killed someone

Yes I agree, there just isn't the resources is there.
I do also agree the age being raised could be a good thing too. I passed when I was 17, and I felt like such a kid still.

You know there's about a 6 month wait for tests in some areas?
Where are these examiners going to come from?

I think eyesight tests would be a good idea, but I currently know someone who has double vision and the specialist signed them off at the hospital saying they'd be fine to drive.
They're not driving. They know they aren't safe. They said they told the consultant that there was no way they were safe (worst bit is in the middle of their vision) and he said "no you're fine..."

Edited to add, from watching my kids and friends learn I think 17yo makes more sense than 18. Then they can get practice in before uni after passing rather than passing one holiday and hardly driving for the next few months. I also know a couple who used it for job/apprenticeship when leaving school and wouldn't have been able to do it without driving.

It's scary isn't it, there's no special awareness or reaction times.

I was T-boned a while back on a beaming sunny clear day on a straight road with no obstructions on. The lady was very elderly and she pressed the gas pedal instead of hovering on the break.

she said her shoes that had been made for her feet with problems were too clunky and occasionally pressed both pedals..

she caused over 10k worth of damage to my car. Once she did hit me it took her about 10 seconds to realise and actually press the brake too..

I think it's so dangerous. There are so many awful drivers in the road and far too many deaths caused over things that can be avoided!

I know, we don't have the practical resources or money as a country. It's completely hypothetical.

although it would free up some jobs for people possibly, depending on the costs to start up. Might be a good business model.

I’m not far short of 70 and sort of agree - BUT the data shows that older drivers are not the most dangerous drivers. Irritating yes, maybe cause minor bumps and scuffs, but less likely to be deadly than younger drivers.

Top of my list would be a start age of 18 and far more restrictions until 21.

And a mandatory thing like a speed awareness course with a long long section about lane etiquette for everyone every 10 years.

And some kind of system on the M25 that picked up middle lane hoggers and lit up a huge sign saying “Oi, AB12CDE Blue Kia MOVE OVER TO THE LEFT LANE!!!”

I agree, especially with the middle lane hoggers and younger drivers.

I do think low mile bias is at play with elderly drivers though as they don't tend to drive far. If it was mile for mile I think the stats would be quite different.

(middle lane hoggers are the worst!)

My grandma was a MENACE on the roads 😂
She fiercely loved her independence but she would knock wingmirrors, speed and hit the curb all the time. Everyone used to laugh about it but it was honestly scary being in the car with her and we are lucky she didn't hurt herself or someone else.

She was a fantastic driver until she got to be about 80. It would have really affected her to have her license taken away, but it absolutely should have been

You'll find that it's the 18-25s proportionately causing the most serious accidents/deaths on the roads. Why not start with them?

I agree that all elderly drivers need to be tested as fit to drive. Perhaps this could be done with a dash cam recording - you book a test and then drive with the camera recording it. It could be checked by a professional. There could also be an eye sight test and reflex test done at a yearly check up.

I can honestly say that I have never seen any of the elderly driver issues in my local area, which has a significant proportion of elderly residents.

The worst drivers are uber/mini cab drivers, delivery vans and teslars.

And some kind of system on the M25 that picked up middle lane hoggers and lit up a huge sign saying “Oi, AB12CDE Blue Kia MOVE OVER TO THE LEFT LANE!!!”

Whilst I hate middle lane hoggers, I do have some sympathy on the M25 where if you try to stay in the left hand lane, you are catapulted out onto the exit slip road at nearly every junction. You have to keep moving out to stay on the motorway and then run the gamut of two solid lanes of HGVs (which never allow you back in, whilst thinking that it is fine for them to pull out directly into the path of a car with little to no warning if they feel like overtaking another HGV at 55mph).

I said everybody should be retested. But I also think the stats would be similar if the mile per mile was even, as elderly tend to stick to local.

and my own experience of seeing elderly driver after elderly driver driving recklessly in my home down every week. I don't see anywhere near as many youngsters doing it.

I do think 17 is young to drive and youngsters and elderly drivers should both be retested and put on courses every X amount of years. But we cannot keep as a society enabling shitty dangerous elderly drivers because youngsters cause damage too.

Yeah that's really irresponsible of her.
a young driver acting that way wouldn't have people laughing :/

I agree. I also think there should be a limit on engine size for a period of time after you take your test. To stop people driving cars they can’t handle.

I'm nearly 70 too and certainly am not as confident a driver as I was even ten years ago. I have told my sons that they MUST tell me if they think I shouldn't drive anymore - because although I'm not stubborn (like my parents were about this - and my grandfather come to think of it), these things do creep up on us and I'm concerned about lack of awareness. Yes it will affect my independence and how much I will be able to do. I have arranged certain things in readiness - postal votes, home hairdresser, shopping deliveries etc. But it's things like posting parcels, going to the tip, going swimming, going to my slimming class, meeting friends and medical appointments which will be a headache. I realise I will have to give up some of the things I do.

@ayonoosh it's no good you minimising it by saying elderly are shitty drivers and youngsters cause damage.

The statistics don't lie, youngsters cause deaths and I'm guessing unlike myself you don't have a young relative who was killed alongside a friend who were both passengers in a car driven by a young driver.

There is no excuse for any bad driving but you should start with the biggest problems first.

My stepdad could certainly do with being told he's not allowed to angrily hang on his horn at other drivers minor indiscretions

Completely agree, I don't understand how some of these young drivers are having very fast cars, insurance is expensive!

Doesn't suit the agenda.

Wonder what you will think when you are 70 OP. I find Lady drivers ( and I am one and 70 and I make no apology for having the nerve to live that long), are the worst in manners on the road at any age they never stop to let people cross, it's like if they slow down they are frightened the car won't start again. Fed up with younger people moaning about older people. You will get there sooner than you realise.

Disagree with this.

An elderly driver almost killed my 7 year old DD by driving too fast down a single lane road in a quiet village and swerved up onto the payment. I managed to throw her out of the way in time.

He parked further up the road, got out and I shouted at him 'you almost killed my daughter!!'.

He shrugged and said 'nearly but not quite'.

There was a group of people near by who picked us up and started yelling how dangerous he was driving. He didn't care at all.

I called the Police as soon as I got home, made a full report with all details. I kept saying to the Police officer he shouldn't be driving. They visited him at his home. Not sure what happened but he was reported to the DVLA.

There's no way he would pass a test.

According to the Police officer I spoke with they have a real problem with older drivers round here driving dangerously, so I bet the Police would actually welcome this initiative.

You are talking about elderly drivers causing bumps, car damage and generally poor driving that others compensate for to prevent more accidents. Younger drivers cause more fatalities, sadly often themselves and their passengers.

I'm not disagreeing with you about additional testing for older drivers but if testing resources are limited we need to prioritise lives over car damage.

One of my closest friends at college was killed by an elderly driver on the A3.. he was 17 years old. 3 days off his 18th birthday.

respectfully, you should take your own advice.