General Chat

to drive.and what age should you stop.do you find old people need retesting to see how well they can drive and also are they safe on the roads?xxxx(:

yes, it's very hard to do this purely on age, but I believe there is a retest necessary after a certain age (or a medical perhaps ?). I'm sure we discussed this a few weeks ago...

that includes compulsary eye testsxxx(:

but bad eyesight can strike at any time, not just in "old age" perhaps we should ALL have to take an eye test/medical, say, every 5 years, to make sure we're fit to drive ?

i agree paul.maybe if this was the case then there would be fewer accidents on the road.also i think that being tested on the roads are completely differnt to being tested on the motorway.it's two different types of driving.so drivers should be tested on the motorways tooxxx(:

oh my GOD, testing people on motorways ? imagine the carnage...

it will be one mass pile up between the BOY RACERS,THE LANE HOGGERS,WOMEN FIXING THERE HAIR IN THE MIRROR,THE ROAD RAGERS,and drivers like mexxxx(:

I personally think we should all be re-tested on a regular basis.... I know I have habits that would make me fail these days and if I had been retested regurlarly maybe I would make more of an effort not to keep these habits off!!

re-testing every 5 years also medical to include eye testing and hearing

We did indeed discuss this before, and I shall try to search for what I said before! Joy

If everybody was retested after 5 years i for one would have lost my licence by now. Maybe tests after so many points or a certain number of fines? Gina

Found it:- the thread was called:- "what age to stop driving a car" and my reply was:- "I sympathise and empathise with you. I think it is not only to do with age but illness, too. Nearly a year ago I was in a car crash - an elderly lady drove round a bend on the wrong side of the road and hit me head-on. The police later told me that she had Alzheimer's disease, her daughter had power of attorney and was going to live with her soon. They contacted the DVLA to request that her licence be revoked. In due course she surrendered her licence. I have seen in a fact sheet about Alzheimer's:- "A diagnosis of dementia is not in itself a sufficient reason to prevent someone from driving. What matters, from both a legal and a practical point of view, is whether or not an individual is still able to drive safely. Many people with dementia retain learned skills and are able to drive safely for some time after diagnosis. Ultimately, however, their condition will deteriorate and they will have to stop driving. The stage at which this happens will be different for each person with dementia. Regular reviews of a person’s continuing ability to drive are needed, by law and on an individual basis. Some research suggests that people with dementia are significantly more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle accident than other people. Anyone with a diagnosis of dementia should stop driving as soon as they personally pose an unacceptably high level of risk on the roads." Unfortunately for me, this elderly lady was "an unacceptably high level of risk on the roads" when she crashed into me. I want to try to change the system whereby, as soon as someone is diagnosed with this, or other degenerative diseases, the GP automatically tells the DVLA. My GP told me that they are too busy to do that. Recently I met a gentleman, about 80, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, and he told me that his doctor has told him to stop driving, and, sensibly, he has. I realise that stopping people driving who are of a certain age, or with a certain illness, would take away their independence. However, it would prevent another person/s life being taken away. If it had not been for the airbag working in my car, I could have been dead. Joy PS Phew! I feel better now!"

I don't think the issue is age. We all know of dreadful drivers of all ages and conversely we know of excellent drivers of all ages. It has much more to do with intellect and awareness as much as it is to do with the ability to move a machine around. Last Year I worked for the Tourist Board at a particularly dangerous attraction. We had to have a very very strict age barrier. The number of parents who swore at us because we could not allow entry to children below a certain height was alarming. In this attraction there was a 50ft.sheer drop with no safety nets and only a handrail between them and death. Some visitors were expecting to carry up small children. What has this to do with driving,only this, some people cannot forsee danger,or preceive a problem,they cannot reason a situation through. Yet these same people went outside and got into cars.They had the physical ability to drive,but could they reason in an emergency or perceive a hazard? Regards Rose

If the driving test incorporated an intelligence test, half of today's drivers would become permanent pedestrians and the roads much safer. Len

Hi Lisa It is hard to say what age do you stop driving i myself feel at the moment you take your life in yours hands when driving and i have driven for 30 odd years + and because of the driving habits (and thats putting it nicely ) i feel i dont want to drive much longer. The thread Joy is talking about is an incident that i had ( think thats the one )of a few weeks back with an elderly very elderly gentleman. Margaret