Older drivers. Should we take a test at 75?

I’m an American living in the US. We have to take a written test only at 75. Honestly, I feel there should be an actual driving test as well. Here, older people, (I am 67), either drive super slow and unaware or fast and aggressively. We have many critical accidents where the person doesn’t know the gas pedal from the brake🙄. It’s interesting that the same laws are followed in our countries. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to keep impaired drivers off the roads.

Or maybe after X amount of accidents in a year that are attributed to the older driver's age The problem is, there are 85-90 year old drivers who are perfectly safe to drive and it's not fair to lump them altogether.

Grammaretto I'm sorry I obviously misunderstood. Your son still has a UK license then.

My son doesn't live here anymore so his permanent address is not in the UK (His home is America now). He therefore can't renew his UK driving licence so my insurance company won't put him on.

He can drive here, and elsewhere, on his American license. But not on my insurance.
I was disappointed about this when he was here in April.

I don't think we need to take a driving test at 75 but there is some need for a comprehensive eye test and reactions test at maybe 78. There are so many people driving around who shouldn't be who won't stop or who's families are too scared to tell them or to take their keys away. I hope I have the sense to give up if I don't feel safe. Or feel I could be a danger to others. Even though it would curtail my life a lot. I'm 72 by the way a d will need to renew my licence for the 2nd time next year.

Im sure its admirable to think that we should all be our best when driving and to ensure we are safe and do no harm. But, the ongoing problems with DVLA being completely unfit for purpose is a major concern. There is already a massive backlog and delay in every area, passed off as COVID/ home working/ GP shortages etc that are causing huge hardship and trauma. If additional sanctions are to be imposed I would hope the government department would become able to manage the current deficit before taking on additional measures and allocating resources to others already stretched, ie opticians, GPs etc. I am not for one moment suggesting that we should not expect our roads to be safe, or discount personal accountability, but its much bigger than imposing mandatory routine testing on 70 + year olds.

MOnica I used to work in Insurance and we were always told rules were as follows-
The driver is legally responsible for telling the DVLA or DVA about any such condition or treatment. Doctors should therefore alert patients to conditions and treatments that might affect their ability to drive and remind them of their duty to tell the appropriate agency.

Good grief. I do not want to sit a driving test.

Tests are stressful and may put some people off but surely if you are really keen to continue driving into old age, you must be prepared for a bit of stress.
The alternative could be a tragic accident.

NotSpag I rang the insurers Saga, they needed my son's UK licence number and that was it.

I think driverless cars and taxis could well be the future.

My DS can't wait. Perhaps country pubs will even have a revival?
The fuel could be solar power or whatever is best for the planet.

I am 75, driving for 58years. I don’t drive as fast as I used to, but I think I am OK and would be happy to take a test. Over 70 you have to renew your licensee every 3 years and declare that you are still fit to drive - your own opinion!
An acquaintance, who is over 90 had a minor accident recently, one of many, and the police were called. It seems that she has not renewed her license for years so is not legally allowed to drive and therefore not insured either. Nobody checks if you don’t renew your license whether you are still driving.

I drive locally but that's it. We seem to have some boy racers a fair bit which I find unpleasant as they seem to rule the road. DH continues to drive throughout the UK but he's older than I am and I worry that he's not as careful as he should be - but perhaps that's because I'm becoming a nervous driver once out of my comfort zone. I'm just over 75. I used to drive all over the place - even around London - in the 'olden days'.

Oh please no! Tests are stressful and often what they test is your ability to stay calm and cool and show yourself at your best, under stress. Many people (myself included) are still living busy, working lives in their 70's and would be devastated without their car. Plus think of the cost, and the waiting lists. However, a test of cognition co-ordination and reaction might be in order, and eye-sight of course. It's a shame that so many older people are too stubborn to admit they are not capable of driving.

My heart breakss for the family of the little boy who died. My cousin was killed many many years ago when an elderly driver put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brakes and ploughed into her on a police crossing. I think this is essential and should definitely be made law.
My husband may not agree as he drives a double decker HGV for a living! He is retiring at Christmas and so if he was to lose his licence a few years later he would be bereft. If he was deemed unsafe however he'd just have to accept it in my opinion.

I don’t think my father would have passed a test at 75. He had been a very safe driver, but became rather vague and had a tendency to drive in the middle of the road. We eventually persuaded him to stop driving in his mid eighties, but it was difficult. He’d been driving since 1943, when I was three years old. Apparently I used to stand in the back shaking the driver’s seat saying “Make it go!”

I think testing in later life is a good idea, but also we should all be campaigning for better public transport and be trying to shift our thinking to an expectation of perhaps not driving as we age. My mother drove well into her eighties. She loved driving and was a better driver than I will ever be. Her eyesight was good but she was alcoholic and as she got older had lost her judgement about driving after drinking. I anonymously informed the DVLA that I thought she might be drinking and driving and she stopped driving after that. I felt very sorry for her because of how much she loved her car and her independence but was clear those feelings are nothing weighed against the possible harm to other people. Many reading this will feel that the alcohol made it a different case from just ageing, but I think the same applies to changes in vision, reaction times, confidence, judgement. I am only 64 but am currently not driving because of eyesight problems and am waiting to see if recent surgery has left me able to drive again. So I am really feeling the new dependence on my husband and regret if I am not able in future to drive my granddaughters on a 121 outing etc. But again, how would any of that sound if I was explaining myself to the parent of a child I had hurt? And the current level of individual car use is completely unsustainable. We must find other solutions to transport - more lift and car sharing as well as better public transport - and other ways to feel independent.

I have always thought this was a good idea but now at 74 the thought of taking a test terrifies me. I would be so nervous at any kind of assessment that I feel sure I would fail. if I did fail then I would be desperately needing to move house as I'm a couple of miles from the nearest village with no public transport to get there and a very limited bus service from there. Being unable to drive would cut me off completely from any sort of socialisation.

It's blatant discrimination, if they used any other criteria it would be frowned on, probably illegal. The facts are the 60+ cohort are statistically the safest group, the least accidents, by contrast the under 25s have the most accidents by far so if you need to select a group for safety reasons then retest under 25s.

twinnytwin

This is a thorny issue. Will we all be expected to pay for these extra tests? It's expensive to pay for the vehicle, road tax, insurance, vehicle upkeep etc already. We live in a village with a very unreliable bus service (once an hour but sometimes it can be 40 minutes late or doesn't turn up at all) that stops early evening. Doctor, hospital, dental, optician and hair appointments would be impossible to plan due to the irregularity of the bus service. A taxi is £10 each way for a three mile trip. The train station isn't on a bus route.
A visit to our two children and their families would be almost two hours by bus to one and a train and taxi to Bristol for the other. There are no shops in the village so an online shop will be necessary and our weekly meet up with friends and family in the pub will be curtailed.
When we'd persuaded my father to stop driving I used to travel 18 miles each way to take him to his appointments. I was over 65 years myself then.
When it becomes necessary for both of us to stop driving we will, but our quality of life will certainly change for the worse.

Unfortunately this is why older people should retire in or around a town or city with easy access to medical care. It might be a lovely dream to retire to a village but transport will be difficult as you get older. I am right next to several buses going to the town centre and a 10 min taxi ride to doctor, dentist and hospital. I planned all this when I moved here.

Grammaretto - my son cannot renew his UK licence as he doesn't live here.
Maybe we have an arrangement with NZ.

I have in the past tried to put him on my UK insurance.

This is a thorny issue. Will we all be expected to pay for these extra tests? It's expensive to pay for the vehicle, road tax, insurance, vehicle upkeep etc already. We live in a village with a very unreliable bus service (once an hour but sometimes it can be 40 minutes late or doesn't turn up at all) that stops early evening. Doctor, hospital, dental, optician and hair appointments would be impossible to plan due to the irregularity of the bus service. A taxi is £10 each way for a three mile trip. The train station isn't on a bus route.
A visit to our two children and their families would be almost two hours by bus to one and a train and taxi to Bristol for the other. There are no shops in the village so an online shop will be necessary and our weekly meet up with friends and family in the pub will be curtailed.
When we'd persuaded my father to stop driving I used to travel 18 miles each way to take him to his appointments. I was over 65 years myself then.
When it becomes necessary for both of us to stop driving we will, but our quality of life will certainly change for the worse.

Grammaretto

Bring on driverless cars?

I think that will be the answer for older folk, especially those out of town. They are not too far away.

But surely a driverless taxi would be the answer, then you just call one when required. Maybe also have the option of booking one for a weekend or longer if you need to go away. It would be the perfect solution.

I think 80 might be the better benchmark for a retest. After all, lots of people are still working well in to their 70's these days. I myself am 67 and still work full time in a highly responsible job. People are living much longer, are generally far healthier and have quite different lifestyles and expectations to previous generations. When I look back on 70 year olds in my childhood, they were archetypically "old" and a life expectancy of 75 was considered not a bad innings especially for a man. 70 year olds these days are quite different. 70 is the new 50 (or certainly 60) if you like.

The vast majority of these tragic cases seem to involve drivers in their 90's and that really is a different ball game entirely. It also has to be borne in mind that most deaths by road are caused by drunk or drugged drivers who are far from elderly.

NotSpaghetti

Wow Chestnut!

That first one looks so ridiculous with such a simple caption!
I know I shouldn't laugh ... but...

Well I had to admit I kept the blue car because it was almost like a joke, not funny but you know what I mean. That was in the 1990s which shows how long this has been a problem.

Driving is the 'Last Frontier' my father's doctor said after my father had a stroke. Lots of folks will drive without a license. It's a thorny problem. I am 78 and decided to stop driving for several reasons. As many of you know, it changes your life dramatically!

I’d hate to have to do a test. I have never had an accident in 50 plus years driving but the thought of a test- nah. I choose carefully where I park and am very careful about lane changes. My car shrieks when someone is too close. The ones who should be taking tests are the tail gating truckers !

Here in New South Wales we have annual medical and eye test at 75. Then at 85 it's annual driving test.