Driving Refresher Course for over Seventies

Many many are still working past 70. I do think GPs have to take on the task of the 80+ resitting driving tests. I think 70 is just a little too young fir retesting. Just when we need our independence reinforced we come against reassessment. So many older folk don’t live on a bus route but need to be safe driving. It’s a difficult time for the older generation but we all need to be safe on the roads.

Patsy70, go for it. Anything to make you more independent. I have a couple of friends who don’t drive any more (usually they get no encouragement from their husbands) who then can’t get about when their husbands are unwell or in hospital.

faringdon59

Yes, I think there should be a re-test at 75.
Recently talking to a friend who knows someone who only has sight in one eye and continues to drive! Worrying!

Perfectly legal, if they’ve had their vision tested and it’s been confirmed that they’ve adapted to deal with it.

Thank you Kitty. A very good and explanatory web site. I have been thinking of having an assessment for a while.

I would advise finding your local Institute of Advanced Motorists group. You could have an assessment drive and they will advise on any weak areas of driving. I was very nervous of driving on the motorway and found them really helpful and I went on to be an Observer myself.

I think madelaine45 has written some sound advice here. Thanks.
I still drive and actually prefer being the driver as I have become an extremely anxious passenger as I’ve got older. Planning is essential and as Madelaine says, don’t be put off by your partner!

Flexagon Not everyone will move over to next lane to let you join even if they have plenty of space to do so.
I find it quite irritating that people these days expect the driver on the motorway to pull over to let them join the carriageway. There is a ‘give way’ marking for cars joining the motorway, and they should not expect cars on the main carriageway to give way. I have seen many near accidents because of this, and it seems to have become the norm.
I used to be an Observer for the IAM and it surprises me that drivers do not seem know to adjust their speed when joining the carriageway in order to filter safely.

Should be retests at 70. Ask any policeman.

I took the Advanced Driving Test through the Institute of Advanced Motorists 11 years ago when I was in my mid 60's. I had about 30 hours of driving with an observer and then took the 2 hour test. My observer was so encouraging and I found my confidence was restored. I am now thinking of having a Mature Driver's Assessment which lasts about an hour as I feel my confidence is waning somewhat and the style of driving has become more aggressive over the years.

Try the Institute of Advanced Motorists or very similar name. If you join they appoint one of their people to take you out for as many times as necessary to get you up to their standards.

Glad you are going ahead Patsy to get some help to return to driving. I think a lot of us have felt a bit of confidence loss due to lockdown. I try to drive once a week to keep my hand in. I find a sat nave helps me when I am going to places I do not know or where I have not been for so long now that I no longer feel confident about the route. It lowers the stress to see and be told how many yards to the next turn or when to move over to the right lane etc.
Good luck. Keep us posted on your progress.

I haven't done one lately (I'm not quite 70), but I did a refresher course several years ago after I hadn't driven for a while and had lost confidence. I think it's a brilliant idea. In fact, I may see if I can do another.

Alternatively, you could do as my husband did and book a one-off assessment of your driving, in your own car. He did it because I'd been moaning about his driving for ages! The instructor was brilliant, told him he was "ok" and gave him a few tips to be even better.

Mature drivers assessment was £65 from IAM.

I have only ever had sight in one eye and have ridden a motorcycle for over 10 years and been driving safely for 40 years

I had a couple of refresher lessons when I was 70. I was aware that I had developed bad habits over the years and wanted an instructor to put me right. There were a couple things I wasn’t confident about and the instructor was a great help.
Don’t hesitate Patsy70, it will boost your confidence and correct any faults you may have developed after many years of driving.

When someone is joining the motorway from a slip road, I don't always move into the fast lane but slow down and let them in if I think it necessary.
The road rules have changed and are evolving. I heard Grant Shapps recently talking about giving pedestrians and cyclists more priority.
www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/highway-code-changes-walking-cycling-b948347.html
I only hope it works.
There is now "Creep and peep" when joining from a blind junction or side road as part of the driving test.
Lots to learn on a refresher course.

I don't think elderly drivers should be made to take a test, they are safer than young men. Shall we keep young men off the roads until they are 21 instead?

According to the research, male drivers aged 17-21 are three to four times more likely to be involved in accidents than elderly drivers.

And the accidents that old and young drivers are involved in are different in nature.

Young drivers are more likely to be involved in single vehicle accidents caused by speeding or loss of control.

Older drivers tend to be involved in accidents that result in smaller impact collisions, with tight manoeuvres a common cause.

Based on some research from Swansea Uni.

www.mustard.co.uk/blog/elderly-drivers-safer-than-young-drivers/

I agree Aligrias and anyway over 70s have to declare themselves fit and reapply for their licences every 3 years or forfeit them.

I'd like it to be normal to have a session or two with an instructor when one buys a new car. I'm putting off getting a new one as long as I can so I can benefit from developments in electric vehicles - but I do know that there will be lots of differences to get the hang of when I do make the change.

Not all older drivers are the same. My mum was a competent driver but decided to limit her driving to local driving after she got to her mid eighties. When she was 94 she suffered a blackout when she was going to the loo during the night and after that gave up driving as she realised that she could not risk having a blackout at the wheel.

I agree with Alegrias. I don’t think 70 is particularly old nowadays. My dad worked until he was 73 and my grandad until he was 84! There has been a spate of dreadful road accidents in this area this past week. All males, no one was over the age of 33 and the youngest to die was 18.

I’m not near 70 yet but barring the Pandemic Year, I drive 8-10k a year which I hope keeps me in in practise. In 2019, I drove 15k, the length and breadth of the UK, due to a family crisis. I love driving, which is just as well as it’s four miles to the nearest bus stop.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Sandelf I meant to say, if you buy a new car then you should ask the dealer to take you out and show you the ropes of your new car. If they’re not willing to do that, take your custom elsewhere.

Patsy70, in our mid-sixties we each took two refresher lessons with the AA. Our rationale was that as fairly new grandparents, we had a huge responsibility when transporting our 'precious cargo' and needed reassurance that our skills were up to scratch, in other words, that we were safe

The lessons very much improved our confidence and enabled us to drive knowing that we were capable drivers.

Your idea is very sensible and I hope you gain the confidence that you seek.

I am still confidently driving at 71, regularly driving on motorways but can’t believe some of the ridiculous dangerous driving by younger generations. No thought whatsoever regarding other people’s safety or their own. I also see more people undertaking, shooting across three lanes and so many younger drivers haven’t a clue who has right of way at a roundabout. Neither have they figured out how to use indicators!