Elderly Drivers

[Khandro]

'Elderly drivers may face 'annual checks' to prove they are 'not a danger to the public'
they may soon be forced to go for annual checks to ensure they are still safe to get behind the wheel if a new campaign is successful in changing the law.' Express.
Does this make sense?

[woofgang]

the article doesn't say a test, it says a letter from the gp, but there is no info at all about how the acident happened and just the inference that the driver was old

[SparklyKid]

I am 76 this year. At 16 I had a Bond Mini 3 wheeler and passed my test for a motor bike licence. I passed my car test 9 days after my 17th birthday. Never had an accident since. The worst drivers I have seen are young women who do not understand the 2 second rule.

[Old_Geezer]

Are the "elderly", statistically, a big risk factor ?
If one section is picked on for testing, shouldn't all equal or greater risk sections also be ?
Are the non-elderly paying for it all ?

[youngmafbog]

//I think there's a bit of 'ageism' going on here, the suggestion that an older person is too gaga to know that s/he needs new glasses, is ridiculous.//

Gromit said all people should be eye tested - and I agreed. Nothing to do with being gaga, there are a fair few people who simply wont admit the minces are a tad dodgy.

[drmorgans]

The "2 second" rule? It's okay not to be looking at the road for two seconds while you put your lippy on?

[rowanwitch]

Having known of two cases of women in their 60s with Alzheimer's driving ( in both cases their children didn't realise they still had car keys) I think anyone with a diagnosis of any age that impairs judgement should be barred from driving. That includes a number of serious mental health conditions, severe pain requiring strong analgesia, and alcohol or substance abuse.

[woofgang]

rowanwitch, they are....once they are diagnosed or have the meds prescribed.

[ToraToraTora]

Despite the occasional and well documented cock ups of the old, there's a reason it costs the saucepans an arm and a leg to get insured, end of.

[Barsel]

You are supposed to let the the DVLA know if you have any disability, but I'm pretty sure that some people don't do that because they know what the outcome would be.

[woofgang]

Barsel, their doctors are supposed to.

[davebro]

Anyway reported 7000 signatures on the petition - doesn't it need 100,000 to get debated in Parliament.

I think the Gov has quite a few more important things to deal with than this!

[woofgang]

davebro if it gets 100,000 signatures, its considered for a debate, there is no guarantee....also the motion debated is "that this meeting shall debate the petition of xxx" Its a long way between that and legislation.

[exarmy448]

I am 83 years old and have had a full driving licence since 1960. I have had one speeding ticket 2 years ago for doing 35 in a 30 mph zone. I have been involved in 2 accidents and neither was my fault. A lorry cut in front of me and smashed my car up. The second was a young driver smashed into the rear of my car while I was sitting at a red light. He said he didn't se the traffic lights because he was changing a CD. I have made an agreement with my children and grandchildren that when they think I shouldn't be driving I will give up my licence. I would happily agree to be tested but to test all over 70's would be a logistical nightmare.

[davebro]

maybe when the vaccinators get done they can put them on to old driver testing?

[rowanwitch]

Trouble is Woofgang, they don't either because they hide the problem, or the GP fails to notify the relevant department.

[Ellipsis]

> I can't help feeling that the idea of getting older people off the road is a back door idea of reducing traffic in general

From what's being said here, this won't get anybody off the road ...

But, assuming it works, it will only get people off the road that shouldn't be on the road. The issue for the rest is the inconvenience.

[Barsel]

///woofgang Barsel, their doctors are supposed to.///
Only if their doctors know.
My cousin was an alcoholic, a chain smoker, and had a bad heart
He went to the doctors once and because he didn't like what he was told, he never went again.
He carried on driving until the day he had a fatal heart attack while he was driving, but fortunately he had pulled over because he felt unwell.
If he hadn't have done that, then other people could have been injured including his young son who was in the passenger seat.

[andy-hughes]

Barsel - // I disagree andy. Why should every person over 70 have to take a yearly test when they have never been involved in an accident and have never had points on their licence? //

Because inconveniencing the few for the benefit of the many is the way society works, quite often.

Maybe adjust those numbers to 75 and every two years - better?

[woofgang]

Barsel under those circumstances you can make an anonymous report to the dvla

[tomus42]

I'd like to see the stats on which age groups are involved in accidents. Whichever are prevalent should probably be tested each year to prove they're safe. I wouldn't have a problem with that.