Should drivers over 70..........

[cee-dee]

Should drivers over 70 be required to take a test every 3 years?

I saw part of a discussion on TV on this subject so what do you think?

Really, it's drivers aged 17 to 24 who're most likely to have a crash and from what I've read it seems drivers over 80 are more likely to cause themselves an injury than other people.

Drivers have to renew their driving licence at 70 and then have to renew it every 3 years but a test as well?

[Anonymous]

Don't even start on the dazzling headlights! They do my head in! Especially those nasty blue lights. Some people drive with every light on that they can get on a car. Fog lights the lot! Then you have those that never check their lights; one beams up, one down or one is bright and the other dim. I hate driving in the rain as that refracts the light even worse. I have glasses for far away and have this anti glare on them, but the lights still irritate me. So I avoid night time driving as much as I can nowadays.

I loved driving when I was younger, but now it's just a necessity. I do prefer driving a big car with a big engine even though I don't especially need it myself as I don't drive on the motorway  (I used to in Holland, but never got used to it here because I'm afraid to get lost). But I like to be able to get out of the way fast if I have to and I like to have a bit of car around me in case of a crash. My mum's car feels like a biscuit tin on wheels compared to my own car.  I also drive an automatic; much more relaxed.

[jd.linklater]

Yes the blue ones are worst of all, don't know if they are halogen or xenon but they are a very penetrating light. When someone is coming up behind you on a motorway you'd swear they were on full beam until they get close behind you then they seem to change colour. I had a deflector switch on the rear view mirror on my last car which was very useful, kind of a prism inside the glass that stopped you getting dazzled. Unfortunatel they didn't fit one on the current model. Think I'll get some night vision tinted glasses if I can get them with prescription lenses. 

[tommy.irene]

When your 70 and old.. 'OLD' IS WHEN... Your sweetie says , 'Let's go upstairs and make love ,' and you answer, 'Pick one; I can't do both!' 'OLD' IS WHEN... Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes and you're barefoot. 'OLD' IS WHEN... Going bra-less pulls all the wrinkles out of your face. 'OLD' IS WHEN.... You don't care where your spouse goes , just as long as you don't have to go along. 'OLD' IS WHEN... You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor , .... instead of by the police . 'OLD' IS WHEN.. 'Getting a little action' means you don't need to take a laxative today. 'OLD' IS WHEN... 'Getting lucky' means you find your car in the parking lot .. 'OLD' IS WHEN... An 'all nighter' means not getting up to use the bathroom. 'OLD' IS WHEN... You're not sure if these are facts , .... or funnies

[soppysofty]

If we had enough police on the roads to enforce the multitude of laws that various goverments have passed and

If we had a compulsory retest for every driving offence where excessive speed, drink, drugs or an accident was involved and

If drivers concentrated on driving and treated it as the privelege it is and not a divine right

Maybe our roads would be safer and we would all drive better.

We may even be able to enjoy our driving again.

If only.........

[cee-dee]

IF. Small word, big meaning?

[upthecreekyetagain]

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@jd.linklater wrote:

I don't think I will hesitate to give up driving if and when I no longer feel able to contend with the pressure of modern driving conditions. I loved driving when I was younger but I don't exactly find it a pleasurable experience these days. I still drive people to airports on occasion but I try to avoid night driving because like a lot of others have said I do find modern headlights dazzling. I'm in a semi- rural area but only about 3 miles from town, ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem but there are only two buses to town and two back again each day so I'd have to organise my life around that or use taxis. The only other option would be to move into town which wouldn't be impossible but I love the countryside too much to think about that right now.

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Like you I live in a semi-rural area - the nearest bus stop is over a mile away and buses run just twice a day.

Following my recent heart problems I was advised by the doctor not to drive and after being discharged from St Thomas' was told it was a legal requirement not to drive for 7 days.  I can't believe the difference not driving made to my 'quality of life' - from simple things like running out of milk and not being able to pop out to the shops, to not being able to go to football to missing a friends wedding.

Fortunately I'm now back on the road but am not looking forward to the day when I won't be able to just go out whenever I want.

[**bustysinclaire**]

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@upthecreekyetagain wrote:

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@jd.linklater wrote:

I don't think I will hesitate to give up driving if and when I no longer feel able to contend with the pressure of modern driving conditions. I loved driving when I was younger but I don't exactly find it a pleasurable experience these days. I still drive people to airports on occasion but I try to avoid night driving because like a lot of others have said I do find modern headlights dazzling. I'm in a semi- rural area but only about 3 miles from town, ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem but there are only two buses to town and two back again each day so I'd have to organise my life around that or use taxis. The only other option would be to move into town which wouldn't be impossible but I love the countryside too much to think about that right now.

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Like you I live in a semi-rural area - the nearest bus stop is over a mile away and buses run just twice a day.

Following my recent heart problems I was advised by the doctor not to drive and after being discharged from St Thomas' was told it was a legal requirement not to drive for 7 days.  I can't believe the difference not driving made to my 'quality of life' - from simple things like running out of milk and not being able to pop out to the shops, to not being able to go to football to missing a friends wedding.

Fortunately I'm now back on the road but am not looking forward to the day when I won't be able to just go out whenever I want.

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That must have been very hard for you, 

My OH had his licence stopped due to health problems, that was 20 odd years ago, he still finds it very upsetting not to be able to get himself about. He has to rely on me.  I feel for him but at least I passed my test just as he lost his so thankfully he is not completely stuck in, we can get out and about. At 72 now though he doesn't think he will be given his licence back even if he did feel he could drive again.

[al**bear]

Happened again

88-year-old man careered through a busy town centre hitting loads of vehicles, then crashing at speed into costa coffee shop window

A woman has died and four people were seriously injured after a car ploughed into a coffee shop.

The woman, aged in her 70s, was declared dead at the scene after the Audi crashed into Costa on The Green, Westerham, Kent at 10:30 GMT.

South East Coast Ambulance (Secamb) said five more people were taken to hospital - four with serious injuries and one with minor injuries.

The A25 was shut in both directions while police investigated the incident.

The car could be seen embedded in one of the cafe's windows for some hours, before being taken away from the scene.

[cee-dee]

Remains to be seen what happened?

Did he fall ill?

Did he swerve to miss something/someone?

Was he distracted and panicked when he realised the road was either a left turn or curved to the right?

Is the car an Auto and he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake?

The national headlines rarely get followed up so we remember the headlines but not the details.

The thing is, young people do all sorts of things and because there's so many of them, they often only get in to regional news. Like the young chap that was riding a motorbike to work and was found dead in a stream. "No other vehicle was involved"..........

[jd.linklater]

Looking at the aerial view of the scene after the accident it appears that a bollard on the opposite side of the road had been flattened. It's difficult to see how he would have hit the shop front at such an angle unless he was travelling on the pavement opposite, maybe he left the roadway further down the street. Didn't see the age of the driver reported yesterday but I admit I did wonder if they were elderly.

[jd.linklater]

Just read the Telegraph link to the story and as I suspected the car clipped several other vehicles, left the road and travelled down the footpath before going through the cafe window. It confirms the age of the driver and that a 70 year old woman who was in the cafe has died. How tragic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12068251/Westerham-car-crashes-into-Costa.html

[tommy.irene]

Thats why i dont drive here as the spanish are mad and can make you kill someone..

[Anonymous]

Well, my mum has past the tests and she is allowed to drive for another 5 years.

She said it was more about the feeling of still being in control, but that she most likely wouldn't drive much anymore. But if her neighbour's son can't help her for whatever reason she can still get to the bank and to some shops that are a bit too far to walk.

So, that's it.

[digitalred]

NO

[fallen-archie]

OK to those who believe Senior Citizens should be tested off the road, what options are you prepared to make available to them in terms of personal mobility? Should they be confined to walking or using one of those stupid scooters, should they try cycling although that would place them within close proximity of all the outstanding drivers, should they perhaps be offered riding lessons, Horse,Donkey or Mule? Could the Bus network be expanded into rural areas offering cheap and frequent services and of course the buses using Bus lanes in every major conurbation. Perhaps the elderly should be made to stay indoors, retreat from society and take their old infirm bodies out of view and into a reclusive existence.

[suzieseaside]

Give 'em all a jetpack

[fallen-archie]

Or you could grow your own I spose

[astrologica]

No need to shout.

[cee-dee]

To go along with what I said in my OP, have you seen this?:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-35188896

[upthecreekyetagain]

The only solid argument I can think of for not retesting those over 70, (an age I'm rapidly approaching!), is one of cost.

Granted young and inexperienced drivers do have proportionaly more accidents but these are not due generally to physical deterioration and the causes can be better addressed by education, restrictions for new drivers and tougher initial testing.

I know that my reactions are slowing down, my eyesight and hearing aren't what they were when I was 30 and nor is my physical flexibility.  I see no problem with taking a test every couple of years, if only for personal reassurance.

I took a council minibus test a few months ago, so I can drive for the Girl Guides, took just a couple of hours out of my day - there's no reason why a car test should take any longer.  If you fail to pass the driving test it means you aren't safe on the road and don't have the right to drive - I'm sure most right minded people would agree that is the way it should be.

So if the cost can be kept to an acceptable level what real argument is there for saying that we shouldn't check that those who have reached an age where it is known that physical and mental ability diminishes, are still capable of driving safely?