Proposal for over 65's to retake driving tests

[masquesmog]

I don't have my full journal database access anymore but did find one small study comparing a younger and older age group.

Driving and age

The results indicate that aging itself and/or potential negative age-related decline in certain functions important for safe driving do effect driving performance, but less than expected and commonly assumed. One plausible explanation is that older drivers use compensatory actions related to factors like maturity and a behavioral adaptation to overcome difficulties in driving.



OK, there isn't an indication here of how important the 'decline' is in relation to driving, but, in healthy aging, it is probably a lot less than imagined. Really it is only post-70, or dementias etc, that this is significant.

 

[sherlock]

Something is completely messed up about a society that says people can’t drive after 65 but can work to 71

 

[kuepper]

Great way to isolate older people.....

Ever heard of walking, getting buses, trains and taxis or taking lifts, cycling?

 

[atypical_boro]

I don't disagree with a test retake at say 68-70'ish to be honest but 65?
I'm 65 coming up next year and I don't think my driving is any worse than it was at 40, 50 or 60

But you're expecting it to go off a cliff in the next 3-5 years?

I don't have any strong opinions on this other than to say that if people have any real desire to try and meet emissions targets etc, less people are going to have to drive cars.

 

[atypical_boro]

As a wrinkle I'd support this so long as it was coupled with a bike licence for everyone. Lessons, test, licence and if required, insurance

That's not going to encourage people to ditch their cars for bikes though is it? As per my post above, we need people to do this if we're to make any progress on an environmental front.

 

[sherlock]

Ever heard of walking, getting buses, trains and taxis or taking lifts, cycling?

Ever heard of rural areas?

 

[Trug]

The old bloke i saw with his face an inch away from his steering wheel as he drove down the pedestrian bit in Tesco car park should certainly retake his test.

Why? What was wrong with his steering wheel?

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

The system couldn't cope with up to 11 million extra ppl suddenly having to take driving tests but ppl should lose their licence at 70 so as to free the roads up and reduce pollution etc

Make public transport free to use, that would solve it altogether.

 

[Fattyfoggon]

Make public transport free to use, that would solve it altogether.

not sure it would I am 60 and have a bus and train pass for free travel unfortunately the bus and train service where we are is pretty poor if they also invest heavily in public transport then maybe

 

[Gunslinger]

I would probably fail a test now on forgetting what some road sign means or some other manouvre driving that would technically make me fail but i am still
10 x the driver of somebody who recently passed a test

46 years old, quarter of a million miles and no claims or accidents

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

not sure it would I am 60 and have a bus and train pass for free travel unfortunately the bus and train service where we are is pretty poor if they also invest heavily in public transport then maybe

I'm lucky in that respect but you're spot on, we're way off where we should be in terms of public transport.

A price we've chosen to pay in order to create extra billionaires and millionaires.

 

[Wiseman_Vaughn]

not sure it would I am 60 and have a bus and train pass for free travel unfortunately the bus and train service where we are is pretty poor if they also invest heavily in public transport then maybe

are you on Teesside? I presumed that Bus Passes had been phased out until retirement age???

 

[r00fie1]

Something is completely messed up about a society that says people can’t drive after 65 but can work to 71

An they expect you to keep paying to work until you're 71 and get a pittance to live on thereafter..............perhaps because they are aware more people are likely to die before they reach pensionable age? That's a serious question.

 

[Corcaigh_the_Cat]

are you on Teesside? I presumed that Bus Passes had been phased out until retirement age???

They have, I got mine at 66.

 

[Fattyfoggon]

are you on Teesside? I presumed that Bus Passes had been phased out until retirement age???

I am in the North of Ireland you can get them at 60 over here but you can't use it in the Republic until you are 65

 

[Old_Stocktonian]

Ever heard of walking, getting buses, trains and taxis or taking lifts, cycling?

I have a bus pass and uses buses on match days. But if the bus service was better and provided a more comprehensive coverage more people would use buses. I enjoy cycling but the lack of decent cycle paths means you have to take your life in your hands and use main roads in dome areas.

 

[DonTheKing]

What aload of b***ks.
Make the daft cnuts who drive 80 mph up a 20 mph school road actually pass their test. What a joke this country is.

 

[Liamo]

Based on data from 2019, drivers aged 20-29 were killed or seriously injured more than any other age group.

As stated briefly, young drivers are more likely to misjudge certain events and speeds because they are inexperienced on the road.

A common trait among young drivers is overconfidence, especially in young males, as they tend to be more impulsive and like the thrill of driving fast, exceeding speed limits.

Accidents UK: What Age Group Has The Most Accidents

 

[guisborough_rob]

Ever heard of walking, getting buses, trains and taxis or taking lifts, cycling?

It would be brilliant if there was a train or bus or taxi firm where I live, and where the cyclists were safe on the roads.

The reality is we are slaves to the car if we live outside of towns in the Uk.

 

[Nano]

It's true that younger people have more crashes but it doesn't mean they need to retake their tests. They aren't crashing because they don't know how to drive. They know the theory and the mechanics of it. They are crashing because they are inexperienced and the only way to get experience is to drive more. You take your test after about 20-30 hours of supervised driving. In the real world that's about 2 weeks of regular driving activity for some people. You don't really learn to drive until you have your licence and you head out on your own.

Driving really isn't much different to anything else. The chances of getting something wrong, making a mistake or not being able to predict what mistakes other people are going to make is higher when you first start doing it and you have no experience. Who hasn't started a new job they were fully qualified for and felt like they were struggling and made mistakes for a while before they go up to speed? Obviously there are bigger consequences for getting things wrong and some young people don't appreciate that (but neither do many drivers of all ages).

I regularly see old people making massive mistakes when driving but in the main they are going slow and causing a nuisance rather than being a danger. The difference between a young person and an old person that is making mistakes though is that the young person will most likely improve with experience where the older person is only going to get worse.

The difficult thing is that generalisations aren't fair because not all young drivers are reckless and not all old drivers are hazards. Some people can be fully competent well into their old age and others can be terrible from a much earlier age. For that reason individual assessments on drivers might not be a bad thing. I don't think it needs to be a full test. I think 10 mins showing the appropriate levels of awareness, decision making and reactions will tell you whether a person is still safe or not.