mature drivers facing compulsory driving re-tests?

Surely, opticians should report to the DVLA if they have concerns. Most people over 60 must have eye tests.

MayBee70

What’s the point of drivers having to renew their licences every two years if they can just say their health and eyesight are fine without having to give written proof of it?

It's to do with patient confidentiality and also the worry that people may not seek medical help if they think that diagnosis will result in a curtailment of their activities.

However the DVLA paper - see pages 10 and 11 - makes it clear that public safety takes priority.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66c8b0d0e39a8536eac052f4/assessing-fitness-to-drive-august-2024.pdf

I too don't drive at night now and I prefer to drive locally as well. Reading the comments on this subject I think I must make another eye appointment - just in case - as I've not done it for a while [though not too long I hasten to add]

After my mother broke her ankle and hadn’t driven for 5 months , my sister found an ex driving instructor who did assessments for people like my mother or people who’d recovered from strokes . He concluded that my mother’s reactions were slow and her weak ankle made an emergency stop very slow . He couldn’t stop someone from driving if he felt they weren’t competent but would give advice to stop .
My mother found it all very stressful and made the decision to stop .

Eye tests are free for over 60s. Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to include the optician's report with a driving licence application. Whether the driver wears his/her glasses is another matter.

What’s the point of drivers having to renew their licences every two years if they can just say their health and eyesight are fine without having to give written proof of it?

Silverbrooks
My experience is that the non- driving partners are putting pressure on the driver because they are frightening the life out of them.

Sarnia I no longer drive on the motorway because I do not feel comfortable in driving at 50-70mph

I avoid motorway driving now because motorways are so over crowded and because of the poor driving and unpredictability of other drivers. There often seems to be some incident, too, which means motorways are closed for hours, so you might as well avoid them in the first place.

Some motorway driving is occasionally necessary and quite often I've found the speeds variable now, often down to 40 or 50 mph anyway.

Yes. I would welcome an eye test and not just for senior citizens. There are many middle-aged people whose eyesight could well have deteriorated since they passed their driving tests twenty or thirty years previously. Both my DSs, who passed in their teens, now wear glasses, as do many other 50-year-olds.

There is another thread about this:

www.gransnet.com/forums/legal_and_money/1347294-Lancs-Coroner-Submits-Report-to-Dept-of-Transport?pg=2

See what I wrote in my post on Monday at 12:37 re General Optical Council instructions to opticians. They have a duty to report a case to the DVLA if, in their professional judgement, a patient either will not or cannot advise the DVLA themselves.

It's clear that people are being dishonest about this. Their dishonesty is resulting in them killing people. I think the time has come for opticians to automatic notify the DVLA when any patient's eyesight is no longer good enough to be driving safely. That would include everybody even when the patient lies and says they don't drive, no longer drive or don't have a licence. The DVLA can trace a person's licence with just a name and address.

Auto-notification should also apply to other conditions that impede driving. At 80, my late neighbour had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. After a number of small bumps and scrapes, he confided to me that he no longer felt safe driving and wanted to stop. But his non-driving wife, who demanded he drive her everywhere despite having no physical mobility issues herself, would not let him stop. Public transport here is very good and the bus stop is less than five minutes walk away. After he mounted a pavement and drove through a shop window; it's a miracle nobody was hurt or killed; he continued to drive right up until he was admitted for hospice care. After that, his widow took the bus.

I do wonder how many people are being pressured into continuing to drive by their non-driving partners.

Grandmabatty

I'm not against it in theory, however I would think the majority of accidents are caused by inexperienced drivers, driving too fast for the conditions of the road. And usually young men. So both ends of the spectrum need addressed

Problem is you can test for eyesight in older drivers, you can’t test for stupidity in young ones.

I am 81 still driving but only locally and a lot depends on the weather and I have not driven at night for many years.

My consultant ophthalmologist was surprised when I said I was making arrangements to sell my car as soon as I had deposited half of my household goods with the local charity shop.

I prefer to make the decision myself rather than have it made for me.

My car insurance is renewable in August, so that is my goal.

I'm not against it in theory, however I would think the majority of accidents are caused by inexperienced drivers, driving too fast for the conditions of the road. And usually young men. So both ends of the spectrum need addressed

Before my cataract operation, I really wasn't fit to drive and had stopped but the optician said I was borderline and was legal to continue.
It wasn't until after the op and my eyesight was perfect again that I realised how bad it had been. Cataracts come on gradually. It's like looking through a dirty window.

There must be many drivers in the same situation. How can you know?

I think it’s inevitable that some kind of restrictions are going to be implemented in the UK.
At 70 an eye test would be straightforward and renewed every 3 yrs, probably at 80 a medical will be needed, which is more complicated because there are degrees of disability, cognitive awareness is difficult to assess in abstract circumstances, an actual driving test may be needed.
At 80 many would not bother to pay for a test, particularly if it had to be renewed annually.

Post 70, the DVLA put too much trust in elderly drivers renewing their licences, to tell the truth. Nobody checks on the information given and this needs to change.
At 77, having passed my test almost 59 years ago, I accept that my driving days will come to an end in the not too distant future.
For the elderly, driving is their one big independence and I, for one, am reluctant to give that up. However, we must be honest with ourselves in regards to our driving abilities. I no longer drive on the motorway because I do not feel comfortable in driving at 50-70mph. I still drive at night and feel competent to negotiate roundabouts correctly and observe speed limits etc.
At 70 all drivers should, at their own expense, have a medical, an eye test and a driving test. There is a long list for new drivers tests at the moment but couldn't elderly drivers be tested by a member of the Advanced Drivers Association?
Something needs to be done.

I wonder who pays for these reviews in other countries? The drivers? Our overworked NHS GPs are unlikely to provide this service free of charge. Another opportunity for the private sector? How would it be policed?
I agree that reform is long overdue.

I've just looked this up - here's what I found:

*Denmark: Requires a doctor's certificate for renewal at ages 70, 71-79 (every 2-3 years), and 80+ (annually). This certificate includes an assessment of vision.

* Finland: Mandates a medical review including vision checks every five years after age 45. After 70, renewal depends on a physician's assessment, requiring a medical examination.

* Ireland: Requires a certificate of medical fitness, which includes an eye test, for annual license renewal starting at age 70.

* Italy: Requires a medical test, including an eye exam, with each renewal. Renewal periods shorten with age, and drivers over 80 must undergo these exams every two years.

* Netherlands: Requires a medical review every five years from age 70, and this review includes a mandatory vision test.

* Portugal: Mandates a medical exam, including an eye test, every two years for drivers aged 70 and over.

Maybe every one should be re-tested- say once every 10 years? That would shake things up a bit!

In Portugal if you are over 70 you need to renew your driving licence every 2 years - which involves having a medical & an eye test.

Would any one who has lived or still living in the European region know how different countries, address older drivers test requirements?
I've lived in France. Tests for older folk are not required.
I think in Italy they are at 70 years old.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable that older people should have extra eye tests surely it makes sense and a normal person would want to know if they were unsafe.

You can reapply for another driving test 10 days after you have failed one.