Are Doctors The Right People To Be Judging Driving Ability?

[ToraToraTora]

.....especially based on arbitrary opinion on some medical condition or other.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/debates/2990973/Doctors-told-they-must-report-unfit-drivers-to-the-DVLA.html
Is this likely to stop pensioners going to the Docs if they fear getting grassed up and losing their freedom?

[RATTER15]

WesterRoss, I also have "Obstructive Sleep Apnoea" I was a taxi driver at the time I was diagnosed and was often struggling to stay awake at the wheel, I was "advised" to give up taxi driving which I did immediately, this was 11 years ago and I haven't heard a thing from my GP about it since!

[ToraToraTora]

well nice constructive responses from the usual suspects I see. the article is framed in such a way that it implies that people going to the doctor for various ailments will be reported to DVLA. I am not talking about a proper examination to determine ability initially commissioned by the DVLA, this is about arbitrary random decisions that did not start off in the driving arena.

[EDDIE51]

Some of these replies are terrifying , I am now sure that a medical should be compulsory for drivers over 70. I am also sure the eyesight requirement is too lenient, I believe it has not changed in many years. I have passed driving tests in Zambia and passed the' Defensive driving' course to drive for Aramco in Saudi Arabia which is set by the Canadian traffic police. Both those tests have a far more stringent eyesight requirement which includes a test to measure your ability to judge distance.(that would rule out one eye drivers as you need binocular vision)

[Sqad]

\\\\Is this likely to stop pensioners going to the Docs if they fear getting grassed up and losing their freedom?\\\

In the UK.......yes.

In other parts of Europe, they would not have a choice....no medical...no licence.

[weecalf]

Maybe some drivers of all ages should be sent to a manners clinic ,the arrogance and bullying on the road is awful .

[tamborine]

Medical certs should accompany all applications for driving licences for all ages.

[lindapalmara]

I used to work for a Consuktant Ophthalmologist. The staff used to park their cars well away from patient's car park because it was like a dodgem course. There were so many people who had bad eye site still driving. They used to plead with my boss with things like "I only go shopping in the car/ I don't drive very much, only locally. They still had to reported to the DVLA if they failed the tests.

[Mosaic]

Don't doctor's 'ban' patients anyway, when it's obvious to them that the patient's condition would make driving dangerous? OH in mid-30s had a dizzy spell while driving and GP forbade him to drive until he'd had a brain scan.
I suppose it's all a bit hit n miss though - my recently deceased friend was up to the eyeballs with morphine but wasn't forbidden to drive, or even especially advised not to.

[vulcan42]

Like a lot of these knee jerk reactions to a problem, this is only a part solution. What happens after the person has been reported, is the driver banned immediately or do they go for a retest? If as logic would dictate, the person goes for a retest then why not have retests for everybody over seventy. After all a person with no obvious brain/body defects can be a dangerous driver.

[Peter Pedant]

// In other parts of Europe, they would not have a choice....no medical...no licence.// sqad

Sqad I think it is people who go along to their GP not for driving but for black-outs frizzy attacks, legs that go "snock" and then face being told they cant drive - or worse not being told - but finding out a few weeks later with a Letter from Mininstry.

but there again, A+Es have to report stabbings and shot guns injuries and children where they think there is non accidential injury

[jourdain2]

Yes, people are likely to avoid going to their doctors and reporting dizzy spells etc. In France once you have your licence - you have your licence that's it. No check at 70 as happens here.