SuperMikey Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 What would people say if I put forward the idea that when you reach the age of 60 you should re-take your driving test every 3 years? The same would apply for newly qualified drivers (at whatever age) to re-take their test within 3 years of passing. There was a fatal and horrific accident which happened in my hometown a month ago which was caused by an elderly male driver (the other driver having to swerve to avoid being hit by him). The elderly driver was in his mid-80s and had a car full of potted plants - the other driver was only in his early-20s. The elderly bloke escaped without a scratch but the same can't be said for the other driver, whose car rolled and caught fire. Is re-taking your test every 3 years when you reach a certain age a necessary precaution or patronising to the elderly? There are plenty of excellent drivers over that age, but equally there are some very dangerous drivers too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nexstar Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 I think every 3 years is a bit too regular. Perhaps when you reach 60, then again at 70 etc. A full driving test again would be a bit much, I imagine 75% of people would fail their driving test if they were to take it tomorrow. Some sort of 'Driving Assessment' would be more suitable. Maybe 2 years after you pass as well you can take this (at the point when you're penalty point allocation doubles) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give it to Ron Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 So you are saying that all accidents are caused by over 60 year olds and and newly passed drivers? What about drunk drivers, tw8ts that cause accidents whilst on mobile phones? There was a fatal accident in Southampton the other day caused by a bloke on his phone....he was neither over 60 or recently qualified!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 personally...I would not be a bad idea if everyone had to re do their test every 10 years....IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baj Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Retest for anyone who accumulates more than 3 points in one offence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperMikey Posted 10 April, 2011 Author Share Posted 10 April, 2011 So you are saying that all accidents are caused by over 60 year olds and and newly passed drivers? What about drunk drivers, tw8ts that cause accidents whilst on mobile phones? There was a fatal accident in Southampton the other day caused by a bloke on his phone....he was neither over 60 or recently qualified!! No, but I should imagine a large proportion of 'dangerous drivers' on the roads are of pensionable age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatch Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Having Maths and English GCSEs should be a minimum requirement as well for new drivers. Just to show that the driver at least has some basic level of intelligence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 So you are saying that all accidents are caused by over 60 year olds and and newly passed drivers? What about drunk drivers, tw8ts that cause accidents whilst on mobile phones? There was a fatal accident in Southampton the other day caused by a bloke on his phone....he was neither over 60 or recently qualified!! What a queer post. No, I don't think he is saying that. The two examples you quote are already illegal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Don't know where I stand on this to be quite honest - I probably fall into your 'elderly' category, yet when I'm out driving I look at the way some of the yoof drive and it dismays me. I tend to watch a lot of those reality police programs as well, and the joyriding / car theft chases that take place (while funny) are really quite dangerous - 90 percent of the people that 'bale out and run' after crashing the car appear to be somewhat youthful to me. (Well I couldn't run that fast anyway) I also tend to think that driving is a culteral thing as well - and we in Britain are not particularly good drivers (although our roads probably don't help either). I work abroad a lot and drive in both Holland and Germany amongst other places, but those two countries have very different road cultures as well. In Germany, many road sections are unregulated and so speeds on motorways are often in the 120+ in the outside lanes - meaning that you rarely see poor lane discipline. Generally speaking there B road system and town systems are also well thought out - there is no such thing as an accident in Germany, somebody is always in the wrong. If you drive from Germany to Holland, the very first thing you notice is the speed limit 120kmph - similar to ours in the UK. But the big exception is that they keep to it. A lot of Hollands motorways are radio controlled, which obviously regulates drivers, and conditions them to drive within certain limits. Another thing you notice about the roads as well is how well maintained, marked and how clean they are - Holland is really a place to drive and relax - it is not the rat race that you get in the UK. I rarely see 'boy racer' cars in these countries either, whether relevant I don't know - but it would appear that many of the young drivers tend to 'understate' their cars as opposed to over here where I see wall to wall 900 engines with great big exhaust pipes, cheapo alloys and a few fire stickers. As I say, driving is a cultural thing - personally, I just don't think we are very good at it in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry the Badger Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 I think there are a lot of older people driving who are not really fit to do so. I know an old distant relative of mine was still driving around Romsey even when he could barely walk any more and his eyesight was definitely questionable. That said, there are plenty of dodgy drivers in every age group. I would not be against the idea of some sort of retest for everybody every 10-15 years but I imaine it would be a nightmare to police. I would also encourage and empower Police to pull over and issue fines to anybody they see changing lanes or taking a roundabout without indicating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deppo Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Only people who can prove they are responsible should be allowed to drive, no matter what age (if you're good enough, you're old enough) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaz Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 To be honest, a full driving test is nearly £69, I'm very surprised the government hasn't already make 5 or 10 yearly retests mandatory. Imagine how much more money they'd make from all the fails! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 No, but I should imagine a large proportion of 'dangerous drivers' on the roads are of pensionable age. Wouldn't that be reflected in higher insurance premiums for the more mature driver? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verbal Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 No, but I should imagine a large proportion of 'dangerous drivers' on the roads are of pensionable age. This is true from my experience having to drive up dreaded north. Dangerous because they are always getting in my goddamned ****ing way. However, if they were to actually hit anything themselves they wouldn't even dent a daffodil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerx16 Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Mandatory full retest for anybody who loses their licence, and jail time for driving whilst disqualified. In my view, those most likely to cause / have an accident are those motorcyclists who fail to understand that the rules of the road, ( speed limits, solid white lines in the centre of blind bends, not overtaking in the face on oncoming traffic, etc ), apply to them as much as to car drivers. I wouldn't have thought many of them are over 60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFrost Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 There are a lot of dangerous drivers on the roads regardless of age. They should definitely raise the minimum age to drive but there are a lot of dangerous pensioners on the roads as there are people aged 30-50 using mobile phones and doing other acts of dangerous driving. I think everyone should have a driving assessment every x amount of years and this be made more regular albeit cheaper for pensioners. 6 months ago I got stuck behind this pensioner trawling along a 60mph fairly straight road at 40 and then proceeded at 40 when the limit went down to 30. He then went straight through a red light at a junction and narrowly avoided being clobbered by a bus. There are times I've made mistakes and done unwise manoeuvres but never had an accident yet fortunately. Whilst I tend to drive in a way that I feel is safe but won't hold up the average road user too much, I also take great pleasure in slowing down to around 20-25mph in a 30mph zone if someone comes barrelling up behind me at 45mph+ and proceeds to drive within a couple of centimetres of my rear bumper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFrost Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Mandatory full retest for anybody who loses their licence, and jail time for driving whilst disqualified. In my view, those most likely to cause / have an accident are those motorcyclists who fail to understand that the rules of the road, ( speed limits, solid white lines in the centre of blind bends, not overtaking in the face on oncoming traffic, etc ), apply to them as much as to car drivers. I wouldn't have thought many of them are over 60. They should also significantly increase fines for people driving without insurance, so it's actually not cheaper for someone to be fined for driving without insurance than it is to get their car insured Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 What Bout old people. Who rely on driving for their business? Like old Lovejoy Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deppo Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Well that begs the question "When should people be made to retire?". I'd say 60 would be a good time to stop people working and also driving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manuel Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 It would be discriminatory to make people of an age of your choosing undergo tests to prove their competency regards driving, in the same way as it is discriminatory to presume that young males, for example, should pay more insurance because they cause more accidents. If a doctor decides that someone is not competent to drive because of a symptom (which may be a symptom common with aging) then he can take away your licence and this is fair. To make the presumption that an elderly person might be unfit simply because of his age and no other reason is not fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Even if most of them happen to be crap drivers? 54 I reckon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 It would be discriminatory to make people of an age of your choosing undergo tests to prove their competency regards driving, in the same way as it is discriminatory to presume that young males, for example, should pay more insurance because they cause more accidents. If a doctor decides that someone is not competent to drive because of a symptom (which may be a symptom common with aging) then he can take away your licence and this is fair. To make the presumption that an elderly person might be unfit simply because of his age and no other reason is not fair. Without wishing to cause an argument - there is absolutely nothing discriminatory about it at all. Insurance companies have such high premium for drivers within a certain age range (generally classed as young people) because the facts show that they are more likely to be involved in accidents and thus require to claim upon their insurance. There is no discrimination there, insurance companies work very much like bookies - they have shown over a long period of time that young drives claim more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manuel Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 European law would disagree with you, it's been well documented recently, have a google, and I suspect any such move against the elderly will be met with the same response. Personally I am in agreement with Europe on this, as I am with most of that which has been passed by the European Courts recently. Out of posts now unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ecuk268 Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 Probably 90% of us would have trouble passing the test again as we all pick up bad habits over the years. As a previous poster has said, statistically, young drivers have the worst accident record, hence the high insurance premiums. What I think is needed is more medical checks on older drivers (eyesight, reaction times etc). An elderly relative of a friend is still driving in her 90's (but not at night because she doesn't see too well). Frightening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micky Posted 10 April, 2011 Share Posted 10 April, 2011 European law would disagree with you, it's been well documented recently, have a google, and I suspect any such move against the elderly will be met with the same response. Personally I am in agreement with Europe on this, as I am with most of that which has been passed by the European Courts recently. Out of posts now unfortunately. Ahhhhh European Law - the final bastion of justice when all else has failed - let's all run to the European Law. I hate to say this, but even if European Law says that it is discriminatory, try and find me an insurance company that is going to insure an 18 year old driver, driving a 2 litre motor for the same premium as somebody who is over 25, has full no claims. Google that. Sorry - but until thousands of 18 - 25 year olds take thier cases to the European Courts - and win them - then they will continue to pay high insurance premiums. It is so, because the facts point to them as being a high risk group. So for me - still not discriminatory, unfortunate for some, maybe, but discriminatory - no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadgerBadger Posted 11 April, 2011 Share Posted 11 April, 2011 My missus deals with catastrophic claims and most of them are for young male drivers and it's usually the girlfriends in the passenger seat that the claims are for due to the natural inclination for the driver to steer away from the accident and the passenger taking the hit. It's truly heartbreaking some of the stories. The payouts are huge (rightly so in most cases) and it's this that makes the premiums so high (notwithstanding the insurance companies making a huge cut) Ironic that the expensive cars afforded and driven by older safer drivers are so strong and safe yet generally the cars youngsters can afford are not so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give it to Ron Posted 11 April, 2011 Share Posted 11 April, 2011 Well that begs the question "When should people be made to retire?". I'd say 60 would be a good time to stop people working and also driving. Why don't we go the whole hog and just put everyone down on their 59th birthday...jeesh there is nothing like generalising is there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holepuncture Posted 11 April, 2011 Share Posted 11 April, 2011 Wouldn't that be reflected in higher insurance premiums for the more mature driver? No... Its time to hand over the keys, all licenses consfiscated at 60 years old, you are a danger to yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFrost Posted 11 April, 2011 Share Posted 11 April, 2011 European law would disagree with you, it's been well documented recently, have a google, and I suspect any such move against the elderly will be met with the same response. Personally I am in agreement with Europe on this, as I am with most of that which has been passed by the European Courts recently. Out of posts now unfortunately. I believe the European judgement was more to do with 'gender' as opposed to 'age group'. Young men are statistically more likely to be involved in an accident, and their closely followed by young women (no pun intended), but I think the judgement was made on it being gender discrimination to charge (on average) around double for a young bloke to insure his car than the same car for a young woman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaint sfc Posted 12 April, 2011 Share Posted 12 April, 2011 I think people 65> should be banned from driving and people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handyman Posted 9 May, 2011 Share Posted 9 May, 2011 Well that begs the question "When should people be made to retire?". I'd say 60 would be a good time to stop people working and also driving. I hope that you are of the same opinion when you reach the age of 60! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintscottofthenortham Posted 9 May, 2011 Share Posted 9 May, 2011 So you are saying that all accidents are caused by over 60 year olds and and newly passed drivers? What about drunk drivers, tw8ts that cause accidents whilst on mobile phones? There was a fatal accident in Southampton the other day caused by a bloke on his phone....he was neither over 60 or recently qualified!! Are you aged over 60 and quite often find other drivers calling you a w*nker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handyman Posted 9 May, 2011 Share Posted 9 May, 2011 No... Its time to hand over the keys, all licenses consfiscated at 60 years old, you are a danger to yourself. Unless you are of that age, you don't know that. Please don't tell me you know by observation. There are poor drivers of all ages. I have avoided potential accidents by having quick reactions, and I was told by someone 15 years my junior that my reactions were faster than his. I am older than 60 and I have never been a danger to anyone in my life. I also do not drive like a mobile chicane. Although I observe speed limits, I usually find that I am the one that is waiting for someone to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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