New planned driving rules announced

[Richie]

Bout bloody time. Here in Godalming I swear I bring the average age of our road users down by 20 years every time I get in the car. And these old duffers are shockingly crap on the roads, it drives me nuts.

If they drive their cars like they drive their supermarket trollies then, yeah, I agree... No "aisle sense" and plodding along with zero urgency, often 3 abreast so no one can pass them and always, always its either discussing their ailments for the World to hear or discussing who else has just died - "aye, there ain't many of us left now Betty"

 

[Cromulent]

Bout bloody time. Here in Godalming I swear I bring the average age of our road users down by 20 years every time I get in the car. And these old duffers are shockingly crap on the roads, it drives me nuts.

Heh, we live really close to each other. I'm just glad I never learned to drive. I'd be terrible.

 

[robj20]

Related story - our eldest girl is learning to drive at the moment and even though I'd consider myself an excellent driver I'm also pretty sure I'd fail the driving test if I were to do it tomorrow. That's not old age - yet - but simply years of probably bad habits and learned mistakes.

My instructor always said he wasn't teaching me to drive he was teaching me to pass the test, then the real learning begins.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

My instructor always said he wasn't teaching me to drive he was teaching me to pass the test, then the real learning begins.

Mine said the same thing in 1975.

It's quite weird that back in 1958 my Dad didn't drive, he was in Germany with the REME doing his National Service.
He was ordered to get into a truck and drive it, no lessons nothing and came home with a driving license
Got to admit I never knew him to have an accident but often wondered why he didn't.

To be honest my test in 1975 was very easy and the 'written' test was asking me to read a lorry number plate and what do you look out for in the country.
I gave so many answers until he replied 'Bloody tractors'

 

[OspreyO]

If they drive their cars like they drive their supermarket trollies then, yeah, I agree... No "aisle sense" and plodding along with zero urgency, often 3 abreast so no one can pass them and always, always its either discussing their ailments for the World to hear or discussing who else has just died - "aye, there ain't many of us left now Betty"

Could be worse could be 20 something zombie driving a trolly while on their mobile.

 

[Richie]

Could be worse could be 20 something zombie driving a trolly while on their mobile.

Not sure if its "worse".... But then, I'm guessing your an "oldie" and took my comment personally even though it was obviously done tongue-in-cheek with the at the end of the post

 

[aaronyuri]

Could be worse could be 20 something zombie driving a trolly while on their mobile.

People of all ages are glued to their phones whilst driving. It's a bloody problem.

 

[OspreyO]

Not sure if its "worse".... But then, I'm guessing your an "oldie" and took my comment personally even though it was obviously done tongue-in-cheek with the at the end of the post

Hit a nerve with that one did we... Lol

 

[OspreyO]

The standards should be stricter too. Technically I can drive without glasses, but that's insane, nobody with my eyesight should be driving without glasses.

If you can only read at 20m you'd better be able to stop in 20m minus reaction time. So like 5m breaking distance or something. Great we can see whatever we're crashing into.

All those L plate cars, parking and driving using braille.

 

[Richie]

Hit a nerve with that one did we... Lol

Oh, wow... When you attempt to project, at least try to be subtle about it

I am neither an oldie nor a "20-something" so no nerve to hit old chap

I guess my assumption was correct then

 

[OspreyO]

"...thou doth protest too much methinks..."



The media made a song and dance about this but the numbers or their selective quoting of stats just don't make sense.
So these days given that much data of the media articles are nonsense or distorted, its worth looking up the statistics and studies on same.

"...Figures show 13.5 million3 people, a quarter of adults, haven’t had an eye test in the past two years, which is the interval recommended by the NHS. Worryingly 2.8 million people in the UK have never had an eye test as an adult. Over half of those (60 per cent) said that they didn’t feel that they needed a test because they felt they could “see OK”. Over a quarter (27 per cent) said that the cost of having an eye test and getting any required prescription had put them off being tested. A staggering 3.5 million drivers (seven per cent) suspect that their eyesight isn’t road legal.

Even drivers who have been told they need glasses or contact lenses when behind the wheel don’t always wear them. Eight per cent of those questioned who need glasses to drive admitted that they only wear them ‘sometimes’ or ‘rarely’ and a further two per cent confessed that they never wear their prescription lenses when driving. Shockingly, a quarter of those who drive without their glasses admitted that they couldn’t read road signs and 29 per cent admitted having had an incident because they couldn’t see clearly..."

 

[SexyGreyFox]

People of all ages are glued to their phones whilst driving. It's a bloody problem.

The only time i tried to answer my phone was back in the late 90s with a Philips D12, never done it since.
I have no idea how people are able to do it.
I haven't even bluetoothed it to my cars with a one button press, a phone call can wait or i can pull over.

 

[OspreyO]

The only time i tried to answer my phone was back in the late 90s with a Philips D12, never done it since.
I have no idea how people are able to do it.
I haven't even bluetoothed it to my cars with a one button press, a phone call can wait or i can pull over.

Really hard to use the dialler

Google Image Result for https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/carphones-old-photos-5.webp

 

[Scania]

My instructor always said he wasn't teaching me to drive he was teaching me to pass the test, then the real learning begins.

Absolutely spot on, your taught to pass a test nothing more really. - it’s exactly the same with the HGV test, believe it or not, you are not even tested on reversing these days on the truck test!!!


I always say the same thing to new passes that I take out on assessment.

Basically it’s once you’ve passed the test you begin to learn to drive, and the day you stop learning is the day you stop driving for good.

 

[Diagro]

My wife's Grand dad, had cataracts. Could hardly see.
Yet refused to stop driving.

Once My FIL found him parked up near home, he asked him what was wrong. He told my FIL that he was waiting for the column to arrive so he could continue onto the barracks.

It was then that they twigged he might have dementia on the way. Sad day indeed.

 

[Resident]

Drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years

The move is part of the government's new road safety strategy, which plans to reform driving laws in Britain.

www.bbc.co.uk

Good, mine are tested every two years.

Excellent. But here comes the moaning on social media "What about the young ones, why are they alway picking on the elderly" yadda yadda

I actually came looking for this thread because I attended a collision incident at work yesterday. Old boy went straight into the back of a double deck bus in his Dacia.

Told our driver that he didn't see the bus was stopped. Plod did a roadside eye check, failed beyond 9metres.

The standards should be stricter too. Technically I can drive without glasses, but that's insane, nobody with my eyesight should be driving without glasses.

I'm the same, to the point that DVSA have taken off the legal requirement from my licence (the 01 code) but I still wearing them because the difference with/without is massive.

All drivers should have mandatory eye tests if they hold a driving license. I took it for granted people just did get their eyes tested anyway.

Exactly this. You should have to submit an eye exam result (could be done directly by the optician) at least every 5 years from the date you're issued your provisional. Fail to submit to the exam, licence suspended.

 

[Richie]

Excellent. But here comes the moaning on social media "What about the young ones, why are they alway picking on the elderly" yadda yadda

It's already happened in here yesterday

Exactly this. You should have to submit an eye exam result (could be done directly by the optician) at least every 5 years from the date you're issued your provisional. Fail to submit to the exam, licence suspended.

I got my eyes tested last year and I was shocked when the optician doing the test told me that, for driving, you only had to be able to read the 2nd top line on their letters board. These letters are huge!

The benefit up here, should they bring in mandatory regular tests, is that eye tests are free to everyone in Scotland whereas they are not free for everyone in other parts of the UK so it does add an additional cost to driving (not sure how much a standard eye test is TBH)

 

[cuke2u]

It's already happened in here yesterday




I got my eyes tested last year and I was shocked when the optician doing the test told me that, for driving, you only had to be able to read the 2nd top line on their letters board. These letters are huge!

The benefit up here, should they bring in mandatory regular tests, is that eye tests are free to everyone in Scotland whereas they are not free for everyone in other parts of the UK so it does add an additional cost to driving (not sure how much a standard eye test is TBH)

Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers

Find out if you're entitled to a free NHS sight test or an optical voucher to help reduce the cost of glasses or contact lenses.

www.nhs.uk

I have mine tested every two years but there has never been a specific test for driving, just the ability to read a umber plate from so many yards.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Exactly this. You should have to submit an eye exam result (could be done directly by the optician)

I had my eyes tested about 3 weeks ago, I've got onset cataracts forming.
I asked him if anything has changed because the Lancaster Coroner has been asking hard for Opticians to be able to email the DVLA to report bad eyesight.
He said they have no rules to do this, it's down to the individual and he doesn't want to do it.

 

[Richie]

Free NHS eye tests and optical vouchers

Find out if you're entitled to a free NHS sight test or an optical voucher to help reduce the cost of glasses or contact lenses.

www.nhs.uk

I have mine tested every two years but there has never been a specific test for driving, just the ability to read a umber plate from so many yards.

Yeah but that doesnt cover everyone though, right?

In Scotland, every person gets free eye tests regardless of age, benefits etc etc. e.g. a 35 year old working person receiving zero benefits can get a free eye test in Scotland.