To think ROSPA should make it clear that Older Driver Assessments might result in a loss of license?

[sprucinitup]

An elderly relative was recently diagnosed with a medical condition which does not result in automatic loss of driving license, but nevertheless, his GP recommended that he undertake a free Older Driver Assessment, saying he thought it might be "helpful". He gave my relative a leaflet which also described the assessment as "helpful". My relative booked an assessment. It consisted of online cognitive tests and a practical driving assessment. At the end of this, my relative was told he was driving too hesitantly. But rather than offering the "re-training" mentioned in the leaflet, they removed his license.

He is understandably very upset about this, because he wasn't warned that loss of license was a potential outcome.

This is the website: https://www.olderdrivers.org.uk/driver-assessment/ . If there is info on there about loss of license then it must be well buried because I can't see it.

He is very responsible, and will of course accept the decision, but aibu to think that there should be a more transparent process, so that elderly folk don't feel tricked into giving up their license by stealth?

If you passed the online test you would be perfectly entitled to consider yourself cognitively capable of learning to drive. What a silly silly point.

Can you not see how fucking dystopian it is to have an ONLINE test for a PHYSICAL action like driving. It IS silly which was my fucking point And as @StandingSideBySide has pointed out its bloody dangerous which is far far worse than silly silly

The test is flawed through bias
RTFT

Have I missed something? He took an assessment to see if was safe to drive. He failed. Ergo he's not safe to drive.

It's like a person I met who "let" her elderly father drive, but only in the village because he's not really safe on the road!

In a day and age where mobility scooters are cheap and have a decent range, just accept that some elderly people are not capable of driving safely.

I worked for a couple of years in motor claims so I might have seen one too many accident caused by an elderly person being unable to stop their car and hitting their own garage door

lol you are so going to regret bringing up mobility scooters DH has a mobility scooter. Back in twenty seventeen the housing association threatened to take it and destroy it. He now has a shed to store it in which he pays for. To save me writing a novel here is a thread

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3095770-to-worry-that-the-Grenfell-Tower-fire-is-now-being-used-as-an-excuse-to-bully-disabled-tenants

Re the assessment
Yes you’ve missed something RTT

But the issue is that no where does it say that taking an assessment can mean they could lose their licence

Using the word assessment means more about seeing where you are in terms of what you know. You shouldn’t be able to fail an assessment.

You can however fail an exam. But this wasn’t the word used.

If no where does it say that if deemed a fail you lose your licence then it would leave them open to being taken to court to apoeal

People might think that it is obvious that if someone fails they lose their licence but in court it is about what is written not what is assumed

Too many people don’t know the accurate meaning of words
Too many people don’t read the small print and accurately interpret what is written without putting their own assumptions and interpretations into the meaning

It's not automatic that you lose your licence if you 'fail' the assessment. Your fitness for driving is assessed. If you are a danger to yourself or other road users, there are further steps which could lead to loss of licence. It's a driver's responsibility to ensure they are fit to drive. The assessment could help them to make changes (e.g. new glasses) or to make them realise they are not safe to drive - and should therefore give up their licence. I'm glad that there are mechanisms to prevent unsafe drivers from driving.

But it is an accurate take.

Assessment infers telling you where you are in relation to what you could concentrate on to improve and what tips you need

An exam is something you can fail. This wasn’t an exam

There's a difference between people who need to be disqualified on medical grounds (which would apply to any age group) and routine testing of older people just because they are older.

It might be worth pointing out that many people would fail if they had to retake their test. I'm a (mature) learner and have failed twice for things I see most drivers do every day.

No the issue is that a professional has seen something on the day that made them say he shoukd no longer be driving. Yes the wording may not be clear, yes you could talk about appealing. I’m just can’t see why you would want to in this case.

The OP does not have the full facts and if the DILs think they have given the full facts then they do not have enough cognition to understand fully what has happened and relay fully that information to the OP.

Whichever way you look at it her DFIL should not be driving and I wouldn’t be encouraging him to appeal. Like a PP said, you could frame it as a positive. He has found out that he is no longer safe to drive and hasn’t caused any accidents. Plus he’ll no longer have the expense of the car.

I don’t think the OP is coming back though.

You can't always improve eyesight or cognitive capabilities. You don't fail the assessment, you fail to reach the standard necessary to drive safely. If you can't improve, then you shouldn't be driving.

I think I would be saying to him its awful to have lost your licence but far better than dying or being injured in an accident. Thank goodness you are safer now.

It still needs to be communicated, in plain language.

All kinds of people drive, including those who struggle with literacy or for whom English is not their first language. Make the information transparent and as accessible as possible.

Not really. If you aren't safe to drive, you shouldn't have a licence so it doesn't really matter whether you expect you might lose it or not. Would you really prefer that unsafe drivers just kept quiet and carried on driving? A car can be a lethal weapon.

@sprucinitup how are things now Has he been able to use public transport or got an account with a taxi firm?

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/intrusive-motability-app-is-worse-than-having-a-computer-virus/