driving re-test for the over 66yrs?????

We do not have a car and are both in our 80s. I think I have posted this before so apologies. Take the cost of a car or depreciation, road tax , licence, petrol, maintenence , repairs, insurance. Add these together and divide by 52. This is the amount you would have available for taxis and public transport every week. . One weekend we spent £200 on taxis, my friend spent the same amount on a repair to her car and she hadn't been anywhere! You don't have to take a taxi for the whole journey, take the taxi at each end of the public transport and make use of your bus pass. It can be done. The only difficulty is carrying things which is overcome by the use of a shopping trolley.

I am with you ladybird9 but would say that I do agree with baubles' suggestion as well.

absolutely Aka

kind regards

just wanna say " thank you all" who have commented on the 'over the hill' proposal re: driving licenses.
Let's stick together on this one.
kind regards

No PRINTMISS it was a response to the OP's "this latest proposal". It seems to me to be clear that it isn't a proposal, just a survey by Auto Trader, whose readership may not be representative of the population as a whole.

My father voluntarily stopped driving aged 75 when he hit a bollard while reversing. He hadn't seen it and his immediate thought was that it could easily have been a child. He did have glaucoma which affected his peripheral vision, however his frequent eye tests showed him to be within the driving standards.

By contrast my FIL, who is in his late eighties, refuses to give up driving although his vision is not great, and his reflexes are worse. I would not be a passenger with him as a driver. His family don't want to hurt his feelings by talking to him about his frankly appalling driving. A compulsory retest would ensure that he would no longer be a danger to others which I firmly believe him to be.

One problem is that opticians are not allowed to inform the DVLA if a person's vision falls below the driving standard. It is incredible how many people refuse to wear spectacles even when they have been advised to. I think there is a case for regular compulsory eye tests in order to renew driving licences.

Mamie just caught up with your 'is this a proposal' after my posting about my husband's eye problem and driving. If that was a question for me, then no, it was not a proposal at all, I was just saying that there are compulsory eye tests for some folk who have problems, and that I thought this was a good idea. I gave up driving a long time ago because I felt I was a danger on the roads - too cautious, making other drivers frustrated, but of course my husband still drives, so I am not completely reliant on public transport.

Mamie posted today, 10.16.04.
That's all I could find by googling, as well.

I must have missed that post Ana. Auto-trader? They should stick to selling cars

And I hope it never will be!

Why? It isn't a government proposal....

If I failed such a test this would leave me almost completely housebound and I know that the thought of such a test would throw me into a total panic. Seriously it is a worry.

As Mamie has pointed out, this isn't a government proposal, it's just the results of a survey done by Auto Trader. No need to panic!

Exactly. So why come up with crazy schemes that aren't costed out?

Aka I'm sure many of the unemployed would be only too happy for the opportunity to get paid employment.

Since the government is trying to cut public spending by reducing staff in all sorts of useful public services (e.g. nurses, border agency staff, etc.), I don't think they'll be too keen on your proposal.

That, I think, annodomini is an excellent idea.

Think of the expense involved in the numbers of examiners they would have to employ. Not a chance. However, it might be a good idea to re-test everyone who gets a ban before they are allowed to start driving again.

Is this a proposal? All I could find on Google is a survey of the readers of Auto Trader, who might be a slightly unrepresentative group? Can't see it being government policy for all sorts of reasons. Here in France there is no check on licences at seventy. All our neighbours drive at a very advanced age, though it is a very good job that there isn't much on the roads.

My husband has macular degeneration in one eye, brought to a halt with treatment, but cannot see small print very well at all. He seems o.k. with the larger print, and is able to drive quite confidently now, but will not drive when it is dark, (unless it is locally in well-lit roads). He has to have yearly tests by an optician recognised by the DVLA, and the DVLA remind him of this. A recent yearly eye test with his own optician showed that his vision is within the law, but we still have to wait for the DVLA optician's testing in August. I think this is as it should be, we all need to be safe on the roads.

Deedaa there's too many unemployed. Retrain suitable candidates as testers. Get them off the dole and paying tax.

My ex, who is now 74, was always a terrible driver. When he did his National Service, he drove a lorry for a bit in a convoy and was given a driving licence at the end of it. In other words, he had never taken a driving test and boy, did it show. I would like to bet there are quite a few men of his age group in a similar situation, so I would like to see all drivers who have never taken a driving test compelled to take one if they wish to keep on driving.

When budgets everywhere are being cut how is this going to be financed? With the numbers of over 65's growing all the time more examiners will be required, possibly even more test centres - depending how often they intended to test us. I'm not against retesting but I do wonder how it will work.

I come across bad drivers of all ages, but the really dangerous ones are the over-confident boy racer types and dithery old drivers. So yes, I'm happy to be re-tested, and, as JO said if I don't pass then so be it.

As others have said 66 is too young, after all the government seems to think that people of this age are perfectly capable of carrying on working. However as time goes on I suppose it may be a good idea, but really all this is just another way for the treasury to grab itself a whole load more money off the motorist, it's favourite cash cow.

I remember that. The older drivers did very well.