Driving Assessment

No driving assessment to report but it's about your confidence if you question you own confidence its time to stop.
Maybe youve had a near miss, maybe you took a wrong turn or forgot where you were.
Maybe you are just not enjoying driving any more, if you question your own confidence it's time to stop.

Yes, one of my friends had a voluntary assessment . Her daughter
(and friends) were concerned about her driving. My friend took her daughter's advice and booked the assessment. The assessor failed her and she never drove again. Not long after the assessment my friend was diagnosed with dementia.
I was so thankful she had volunteered to be assessed, who knows what might have happened had she continued to drive.

Mazgg, , David 49 is correct. My DH was diagnosed with dementia. I was concerned about his driving and persuaded him to have a driving assessment. He passed the first two - I was not happy about that. Fortunately he failed the 3rd assessment. It only takes seconds of inattention for the worst to happen. Please think very carefully about whether you should be being the wheel.

How do you get a driving assessment? I do feel confident but works appreciate a proper assessment.

www.iamroadsmart.com/guidance-for-older-drivers?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12706111862&gbraid=0AAAAAC7_PCKPhhffe9cI_zPNfqbEUCBxe&gclid=Cj0KCQjw39zSBhDhARIsANammDt2GsCSGQtT3DVaCaTSeCFHnehFFgVO74GJXwyKvRbmKNrCCN9ExYwaAtiZEALw_wcB
Institute of Advanced motorists offers reviews, hopefully you will find one near you.
As the change has been over past couple of weeks could you have something like an infection affecting your concentration ?

I will bang on till the cows come home about this but I strongly believe that nobody over the age of 80 should be permitted to drive and everyone over 70 should soul search deeply and regularly about whether they should continue driving. I myself have completely stopped driving at night, and my nearest and dearest have been instructed to tell me as soon as my day time driving becomes unsafe. We ourselves cannot perceive when our reaction times are inadequate, but the fact is that they do deteriorate with age and we are deluding ourselves to think otherwise.

Don't live in a public transport desert and use your bus pass!

My husband is a driving instructor still going strong at 76. So please don’t judge all over 70s as his reactions are still very good

It’s good to see you’ve taken your own advice pen50 but please don’t tar us with the same brush. Stats show young men are still (by far) more accident prone.

Sorry but if you live in rural areas with no public transport, you have very little choice of whether you stop driving.
Seventy is not old in today’s world. Perhaps driving assessments should be brought in at 80, 90 and 100. Yes we did have a neighbour who drove locally at 100!

I sing in three choirs and could not get to them in the evenings by public transport. I am still a confident driver in most circumstances and hope to continue for a few more years yet. I made a point of doing longer journeys from time to time, to keep up with the flow, so to speak. In general I stick to familiar routes, especially at night.

I'm 74 and it's not my driving that concerns me. Every time I venture out I encounter other drivers who are driving recklessly .By the time I make it back home I just thank God I'm still here. I absolutely dread driving anymore.

We had to remove the car keys from FiL when he was 90 and diagnosed with macular degeneration.
He thought he was safe.
I drive short distances but don't like long journeys or night driving at all. I'm 77.

I personally have taken the decision not to drive, my eyesight is not as good as it should be.
I haven’t taken a driving assessment. I have just decided myself that I can’t see as well as I did in the past and I don’t want to put anybody at risk. I’m not a nervous person and I’m quite a confident competent person . I’ve decided that I don’t see well enough and I would never forgive myself if I hurt someone.

At 76, I still enjoy driving, whether around town or on longer runs, including in France. I'm less confident about night driving unless it's on a familiar road.

I have had two near misses recently. Having dashcam footage I reported both to the police as one vehicle had NO tax or MOT and the other had NO MOT! Both young people driving each car and both almost caused serious accidents. The second took place through and area of road works and the driver narrowly missed one of the workers despite him being dressed head to foot in bright orange overalls!
I firmly believe the standard of driving is appalling now yet whenever things go wrong seemingly it’s the older generation at fault!

callum12

My husband is a driving instructor still going strong at 76. So please don’t judge all over 70s as his reactions are still very good

Yes.

In the UK, there is no legal maximum age limit to be a driving instructor. Instructors continue to teach well into their 70s and 80s, and individuals like the late Laura Thomas famously taught until she was in her mid-90s. Instructors simply must pass medical checks and a standard assessment to remain on the official register.

For personal reasons I think an assessment is a good idea.plus an eye test . My son’s best friend has recently lost his father in a rta . His car was hit by an 85yo woman who was on the wrong side of the road . His mother was in a medical coma for several weeks and has life changing injuries and will need full time care . They were both in their 60s .
The 85yo was also in hospital. This happened on a local road during the day and in good conditions .
I would hate anyone to go through what my son’s friend has gone through and it’s still ongoing .

I passed the advanced driving test 16 years ago. I had a mature driver's assessment 2 years ago and intend to book another one this year. I am 82 years of age. The people who volunteer for IAM Smart are very helpful and help you to feel more confident about your driving etc. I consider it a responsible thing to do as a mature/elderly driver.

My mum has just decided at 90 to give up her car when the insurance is due in September.....she only drives locally and I'm sure she will miss it at first but I will be glad....she has buses that run every 15 mins ...but its not the same as having a car I get that

Thank you Shewhomust... for the link.

Georgesgran

It’s good to see you’ve taken your own advice pen50 but please don’t tar us with the same brush. Stats show young men are still (by far) more accident prone.

At 77 I still feel perfectly fine to drive - I regularly do a trip to a dd involving 3 motorways, including the invariably busy M25.

However I no longer drive on unfamiliar and/or unlit/ unmarked roads at night, since I know my night vision is not what it was.

Public transport in our area is extremely good, as well as free! - I usually use it locally rather than driving, so I wouldn’t hesitate to give up my car if I no longer felt safe or confident to do so.

Mazgg

I'm 84 and until recently felt very confident in my driving. I've become more absent minded over the last few weeks (not particularly when driving) and I worry that I may not be safe.
Has anyone had an older driver's voluntary assessment?

DH did last year. Not because he had any worries /problems
but because he is 79, his medical history requires a regular vision test for the DLA, and the IAMS were running a local promotion, free test for older drivers, no strings.

It took an hour in his own car and the IAM examiner said his driving was excellent.

My mum stopped driving in her 80s when she found her reactions were slower than before and she couldn’t turn her neck as fast. I thought that was very responsible and I intend to act similarly. So I think you are very sensible to have an assessment, OP.

The fact that there is a lack of public transport does not justify someone continuing to drive when they are at risk of hurting or killing someone.

It’s really important to be realistic about this.

Considering many 70 year olds still work how does Pen50 expect them to get there? If Andy Burnham's plans for the state pension age go ahead most people will be working at 70.