Unfit/ unsafe drivers

potatolord

potatolord

potatolord

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21 Jan 2010
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Reading this BBC report, I couldn't help but reflect on my experience seeing very poor driving from very elderly people.

I've never understood why compulsory re-testing isn't mandated at regular intervals. I'd support mandatory re-testing every 20 years, with eye testing included in that.

www.bbc.co.uk

Coroner's call for older driver eye tests after fatal crashes

Visual legal standards for motorists is "ineffective and unsafe", a coroner says.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
 
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For exactly the same reason many things that make no sense are the way they are. Voting. We should realistically be retesting people in some capacity every decade or so regardless of age and once you hit a certain age you should be tested every few years.

As a cyclist it scares the bejesus out of me when I see an old person driving who is ultra fixated straight ahead. You can tell the look. Peering over the steering wheel. Both hands on it. Looking straight ahead without any motion. Completely focussed only on what is immediately ahead of them.

I had one of these overtake me once within about 10cm of my bars. They absolutely crawled past me. ie. I was going at 15mph and they probably went past me at 16mph.

We need to start taking the idea that your right to freedom and independence doesn't override other peoples right not to be killed on our roads.
 
potatolord said:
Reading this BBC report, I couldn't help but reflect on my experience seeing very poor driving from very elderly people.

I've never understood why compulsory re-testing isn't mandated at regular intervals. I'd support mandatory re-testing every 20 years, with eye testing included in that.

www.bbc.co.uk

Coroner's call for older driver eye tests after fatal crashes

Visual legal standards for motorists is "ineffective and unsafe", a coroner says.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
Click to expand...

We can’t even test all the young people waiting for tests, fat chance retesting anyone.
 
Yea and you'd have people waiting months for a test, unable to get to work...

Or large numbers of people would just chance it and drive un-licenced and therefore un-insured.
 
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Whilst I agree that, us, older drivers should have frequent eye tests if anyone looks at the statistics and the truth is plain to see which age group are the most likely to cause a car accident.
Unfortunately though I fear a thread like this will just attract the uninformed ageists...
 
+1 for mandatory retests at some period.

My elderly (the had a couple of falls, been in hospital for weeks at a time afterwards kind of elderly, not sure exactly how old he is) next door neighbour got a new mid sized SUV a couple of years ago and the amount of damage he's put on it is insane - massive scratches and dented doors on the sides of the vehicle presumably from turning across obstacles and sliding up against things, damage to the front bumper too, has clearly driven into a wall or something. This damage has appeared gradually too, so not just the result of one accident. He only drives it about once a week too. His judgement / perception is clearly poor, and would not be surprised if he runs someone over at some point.

It's a good point that the current testing system can't even deal with reduced numbers of young people taking tests though, and enforcement would have to be improved too.
 
We could find a balance, just make sure that every new driver under 25 has to carry an elderly person as a passenger. 2 year probationary period.
 
Yep, totally agree. Far too many people out there who can't drive properly.

If we can conduct over 40 million MOTs a year, no reason why we couldn't do that for drivers too. (Not needed every year)
 
The bbc article is about eye tests, not driving retests so some are rather jumping the gun. Plus the article refers to someone who knew they had an eye condition that they should have reported.
It is this self reporting of a driving impairment that is the issue.
 
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I saw a near miss today. A standard dudebro driving a Merc SUV... Decided he was going to ignore give way to oncoming traffic signs and almost mow down a biker. Those are the dangerous people we need off the roads.
 
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CaptainRAVE said:
We can’t even test all the young people waiting for tests, fat chance retesting anyone.
Click to expand...
Was gonna say, they've never caught up with the covid backlog from the new drivers needing a test good luck if you start asking the whole driving population to need retests!!

www.bbc.co.uk

Driving tests: Minimum six-month waits in some areas, AA says

Areas of Berkshire, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire are affected by the longest wait times.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Agreed some form of medical certification should be considered though once you pass 70 for the drivers safety as well as the general publics.
 
My partner, who is 71, has just actually surrendered her driving licence to the DVLA as she had a seizure last month, which turned out to be a cancerous tumour in her brain. She was advised not to drive by the consultant and took the necessary immediate steps to return her driving licence. Her 8 year old fiesta is immaculate with not even one curb rash on any of the alloy wheels.
 
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Mother in law’s car has a large scratch on the front bumper and they said they haven’t a clue how it got there. “Maybe someone hit it” they said. So I had a look in their drive where they park and there was a large scrape of red paint on the garden gate. How they didn’t notice this is utterly bizarre.

I spoke to my wife and she is concerned we might need to take steps.
 
The big issue I see from that news item is the fact that it is left up to the individual to admit that they should or should not be driving, it's way past time that opticians, doctors and the like were required to update the DVLA (DVSA?) about peoples fitness to drive, perhaps also the driving licence renewal process should require an eye test as well. Far too many people are of the opinion that driving is a right and not the privilege that it actually is.
 
Mr Wilcox said there is currently no infrastructure for IT which would allow a sight test to be uploaded to the DVLA.
Click to expand...
This is the issue, an optician or GP should be able to automatically flag that someone is unfit, whether a licence holder or not. I daren't imagine how antiquated some of the systems in the DVLA/NHS/whatever are.
 
When I first got glasses I asked if my eyesight was bad enough that I couldn't drive without glasses, they said it's within the limit.

My eyesight is trash, I wouldn't even attempt driving without glasses, to think people could be driving around like that is messed up.
 
Had a front row seat to a near fatality on Weds, which involved an elderly driver in a small fiesta.

I was behind them when they had stopped in the road, indicating and waiting to turn right. There was an oncoming fastrac (big tractor) towing a silage tank going at a rate of knots, which I assumed he was waiting for....but no, after waiting long enough to let the tractor be right on top of us he slowly pulled off and turned right in front of him :eek:

The look on the tractor drivers face! He stomped on the brakes so hard it looked like he was going to go through the windscreen - there was no chance of stopping with that weight on tow. How the hell he missed him I don't know, but he would have steamrollered over that fiesta if he hadn't.
 
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