HaydnH Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 There's also the fact that driving conditions have changed so much over the years. I passed my test in 1969 when traffic was much lighter, there was no theory or written test and the test itself lasted 20 minutes. Don't worry Pete, we've never noticed in Wales. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) For me the difference is that young drivers make mistakes, most older drivers probably did when they were younger also. Young drivers tend to be bigger risk takers and hence the accident statistics because of that, but that is a choice. Older people by definition are likely to have a much higher issue with physical problems such as reaction speeds, vision, hearing etc. When my Grandad hit about 75 we ended up taking his keys off him, he was adamant he could drive and very pig headed about it but could barely see past his steering wheel and had so many near misses (only prevented by other good safe drivers avoiding him) we had to take action. He argued he had no accidents, but on the whole it was other people preventing him hitting them, rather than the other way around. As the Doc/Pete I think it was said, you wouldnt give a licence to someone who couldnt see more than 5 feet in front of them and couldnt reverse park, couldnt get out of third gear, so why is it ok to let people continue driving like this unchecked until they kill someone? Edited October 23, 2015 by coldel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docwra Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Stopping them from driving, dont let them out on there own, what ever next...euthanasia.... seems like a plan until its your turn Think on people, yer not young forever and then people will be looking at you and thinking...what a c''k Give them space and chill a little. Learn to enjoy the journey and not just the speed We arent talking about OAPs that are a bit slow and annoying, we are talking about OAPs that arent safe to be behind the wheel and finish up driving into stuff, including people, and are potentially deadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 Stopping them from driving, dont let them out on there own, what ever next...euthanasia.... seems like a plan until its your turn Think on people, yer not young forever and then people will be looking at you and thinking...what a c''k Give them space and chill a little. Learn to enjoy the journey and not just the speed We arent talking about OAPs that are a bit slow and annoying, we are talking about OAPs that arent safe to be behind the wheel and finish up driving into stuff, including people, and are potentially deadly. Exactly, I have no problem waiting and taking my time to pass elderly people on the road - its when they plow into men women and children on a pavement because they are physically well past the condition required to operate a vehicle. There are probably a couple of exceptional people out there that at 92 years old could drive a car to the level required to be safe on the road - I suspect the majority are not though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brillomaster Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 maybe just a test resit at 60 or 70 is whats required... combined with free bus travel. Maybe if it was made law and people knew that they were facing a retest when they reach a certain age, many more people would gracefully hand over their keys rather than attempting a driving test knowing full well they are physically unable to pass. old people are stubborn, and its a well known fact they don't listen to advice of their children, but if an independent driving instructor told them they were unfit to drive, they might listen. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraziekatz1 Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 No one would want to be the person that takes away an elderly person's independence, even if it meant improving road safety.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 No one would want to be the person that takes away an elderly person's independence, even if it meant improving road safety.... Even if it meant saving the life of children that were knocked up in the air today - they could have been killed. I for one value the future life of people over the independence of someone in their retirement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 To be brutally honest, if your 70+ and driving you probably passed your test 50+ years ago or it was handed out free with vouchers from Kellogs cornflakes. Common sense with the powers that be should suggest that the driving test then is worlds apart to a driving test today and for good reason, how much have the roads changed in 50 years, how much has the highway code changed in 50 years. Retirement age and a compulsory test and every 5 or 10 years after. Its not about removing their independence, its about their ability to drive safely. Having said that, how many people do you sit behind that are young and think, how the f*** did you ever pass a test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kraziekatz1 Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 No one would want to be the person that takes away an elderly person's independence, even if it meant improving road safety.... Even if it meant saving the life of children that were knocked up in the air today - they could have been killed. I for one value the future life of people over the independence of someone in their retirement. Seriously, I bet no-one would ever put it through the legal system even if the government could afford the cost! Also, imagine trying to take every potential child killer off the roads! Well, it would definitely improve congestion! I just treat every driver on the road, be it bike, car, lorry as dangerous!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyZ Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 No one would want to be the person that takes away an elderly person's independence, even if it meant improving road safety.... As long as the money's decent, I'll do it 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 No one would want to be the person that takes away an elderly person's independence, even if it meant improving road safety.... Even if it meant saving the life of children that were knocked up in the air today - they could have been killed. I for one value the future life of people over the independence of someone in their retirement. Seriously, I bet no-one would ever put it through the legal system even if the government could afford the cost! Also, imagine trying to take every potential child killer off the roads! Well, it would definitely improve congestion! I just treat every driver on the road, be it bike, car, lorry as dangerous!!! But thats the difference, there are people that choose to drive dangerously and could potentially kill people that way which is by and large something you cannot prevent, we are all capable of it. Then there are things which are very preventable like removing people from the road who clearly lack the capability to drive a car under any condition safely. That's the difference, and unfortunately as you get older you become less capable to operate a 1-2 tonne piece of machinery that is capable of 150mph safely because you physically cannot do it. Independence is irrelevant, its about demonstrating you have the capability to drive safely. If you cannot do this, you do not have the right to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 There's no readon why physical and mental checks can't be performed without the need for anyone getting behid the wheel and doing a re-test, just a mandatory stop by your GP or drop-in centre once a year for a series of short tests. Kind of like an MOT for licence holders of any and all ages. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HaydnH Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 There's no readon why physical and mental checks can't be performed without the need for anyone getting behid the wheel and doing a re-test, just a mandatory stop by your GP or drop-in centre once a year for a series of short tests. Kind of like an MOT for licence holders of any and all ages. The NHS is struggling financially as it is, if they can afford the petrol then they can afford to pay a tank to do a retest of some sort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsexr Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Most learners that you get behind annoy as well and they are driving in a fashion thats required to pass the test. Passing a test is not the same as driving in real world traffic conditions so re testing would not change them into what you want them to be. That fella in the dustbin lorry wasnt old so maybe age is not the problem here....Just a thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) There's no readon why physical and mental checks can't be performed without the need for anyone getting behid the wheel and doing a re-test, just a mandatory stop by your GP or drop-in centre once a year for a series of short tests. Kind of like an MOT for licence holders of any and all ages. The NHS is struggling financially as it is, if they can afford the petrol then they can afford to pay a tank to do a retest of some sort. I don't think that's a good reason to be honest, though I understand the point. I personally think the NHS should just get more money for more resources and better incentives for the people that work in it, from big the pot, and solve the struggling financially issues. It's by far and away the most important thing the UK has to offer. Whilever there is money for the UK to be part of the world police, there should be plenty for the NHS (and education too). Edited October 23, 2015 by SuperStu 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 I had a 94 year old bloke trying to insure with us last week. He could barely speak, couldn't read anything and it took him about 15 minutes to move from one room to another. He got angry with me when I told him it was a panel decline (no insurers would cover him), he was genuinely confused as to what the problem was. Couldn't even feel sorry for him to be honest, took every ounce of my professionalism to not inform him why him driving was a bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 To be brutally honest, if your 70+ and driving you probably passed your test 50+ years ago or it was handed out free with vouchers from Kellogs cornflakes. You still had to pass the test and plenty of people had multiple failures, I knew someone who failed 5 times. I take your point that the test was easier, for example, I took my test in a small market town, population at the time was around 4,000. The roads were quiet and the test consisted of just 6 things, reading a couple of number plates, following the examiners directions, reversing around a corner, doing a hill start and an emergency stop and finally answering a few questions on the highway code. Oh yeah, we also had to do hand signals . Whole thing done and dusted in no time at all. I don't believe that more than a handful of drivers on today's road got a free pass like my dad did, you'd have to be at least 91 now by my reckoning. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 I had a 94 year old bloke trying to insure with us last week. He could barely speak, couldn't read anything and it took him about 15 minutes to move from one room to another. He got angry with me when I told him it was a panel decline (no insurers would cover him), he was genuinely confused as to what the problem was. Couldn't even feel sorry for him to be honest, took every ounce of my professionalism to not inform him why him driving was a bad idea. This 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveallen1999 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 To be brutally honest, if your 70+ and driving you probably passed your test 50+ years ago or it was handed out free with vouchers from Kellogs cornflakes. You still had to pass the test and plenty of people had multiple failures, I knew someone who failed 5 times. I take your point that the test was easier, for example, I took my test in a small market town, population at the time was around 4,000. The roads were quiet and the test consisted of just 6 things, reading a couple of number plates, following the examiners directions, reversing around a corner, doing a hill start and an emergency stop and finally answering a few questions on the highway code. Oh yeah, we also had to do hand signals . Whole thing done and dusted in no time at all. Ok, I was being slightly sarcastic with the cornflake comment, sorry I presumed that was obvious. But, as you say above, do you really think the above test qualifies you to drive on todays roads? I am sure you dont, hell even my test some 25 years ago doesnt, but I would have zero problem with retaking a test. I could even fail, but I know I would pass again, its only the people who know they wouldnt pass that would complain. There are also plenty of people of a younger generation that shouldnt be driving, but, they all run the risk of being caught, when did anyone see an elderley driver being done for dangerous driving etc and by that I mean, driving at substatially below the speed limit, poor lane discipline, signals etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 No-one who is a remotely competent driver should fear a re-test. It shouldn't be the same test as your original one though, it should focus more on allowing traffic to flow and observation rather than hands at ten-to-two and shuffling the wheel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky-Ricky Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Although I agree with a lot that's been said, and also being an older driver, I think there is a need to quantify, as all drivers are NOT equal, there are both good and bad drivers at any age, however a basic driving skill and hazard perception test should be applied to all over a certain age, and more of an effort should be made to weed out the people who are really medically unfit to drive, along with the mentally unfit, including those unfit by attitude. But in the currently OTT PC world I cant see this happening. And just to qualify my "NOTequall " comment, I have seen people track and race driving at 70 who could thrash a lot of younger track drivers. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SithOllie Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Although I agree with a lot that's been said, and also being an older driver, I think there is a need to quantify, as all drivers are NOT equal, there are both good and bad drivers at any age, however a basic driving skill and hazard perception test should be applied to all over a certain age, and more of an effort should be made to weed out the people who are really medically unfit to drive, along with the mentally unfit, including those unfit by attitude. ... That;s half the forum gone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankeesiter Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 And just to qualify my "NOTequall " comment, I have seen people track and race driving at 70 who could thrash a lot of younger track drivers. True enough Ricky. I was at Silverstone Historic racing last weekend and a lot of the drivers looked "historic" if not "vintage" and damn good drivers they were. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juggalo Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 They won't change the laws on elderly drivers because the silver haired brigade vote more than any other demographic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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