Taking the elderly off the road

[suckindiesel]

There are some terrible elderly drivers on the road for sure, but I’m equally terrified by the amount of people flying along staring at their phones, like the middle aged lady powering through Carryduff today, seeing the top of their head is not great.

If someone has been driving manual all their days and can no longer manage clutch control it’s not time for an auto it’s time to stop driving. Or the car is repeatedly being damaged. A lot of responsibility with the family to step in, as hard as it is.

 

[Rigger]

Everyone should be tested every 5 years no matter their age. Can't pass the test - off the road you go.

I've been saying this for years.

Age doesn't automatically mean you're going to be a poor driver. Plenty of good elderly drivers. My Dad is 75 this year, and still shakes his head and the 40mph daydreamers on a 60. Helps that he was a retained fireman before he went offshore, had driven trucks since he was 15 and passed his advanced test.

Test every 5 years for the price of a lesson should be all it takes.

Hand your licence in at start of test. Do your test.

If you pass - you get your license back.

If you fail - your license is held back and you take lessons until you can prove you can operate a car to the minimum standards.

If you get caught without a license - they you get the book thrown at you.



Something really needs to be done to address the f**kwittery and lack of consideration that you see on the roads these days.

 

[Coog]

Less focus on vehicle testing every year and more focus on drivers.

I wonder what percentage of accidents over covid / liftgate were down to mechanical failure vs driver error with all the extensions.

Tester availability is a short term problem. You don’t just decide to regularly test drivers starting next week, it’s something that’s planned and brought in. You’ve at least 5-10 years to kick the thing off even if you did decide it was going to be a new rule as of tomorrow.

But it won’t happen. Easier to take you off the road for having mph only clocks fitted than the ability to understand speed limits, merge in turn or what lane you should travel in.

 

[big cyril]

Agree with the retest suggestions but for everyone, not just by age. The father in law’s car seemed to be getting scrapes and the odd dent which he couldn’t explain. The Mrs was worried so I followed him one day, seemed to be fine, decent speed, normal position on road etc. Then one day he reversed up to his usual spot on our drive but didn’t stop, bounced the Polo up over the kerb, took off a little a bit like a reverse Dukes of Hazard and landed her neatly on the lawn. The keys went missing after that.

 

[Father Stack]

My Granny used to stop while on roundabouts to wave people onto them. She also used to come to our house and abandon her Nissan Micra on the main road, get out, walk into the house and ask one of us to bring it into the driveway for her. A driveway that's just off the main road, that you could get a bus in.

She lived rural though so until she went into an assisted living facility in the town, she refused to give up her car no matter how much we gave off to her.

Definitely think there should be some kind of basic competence on the road test every 5 years or so. I agree with the sentiments about reducing the need for vehicle testing, increasing the need for driver testing.

 

[RWL]

Yes, I agree the solution is to introduce more regular testing. Both my mother & MIL (both in 60's) have been pulled over and breathalysed for driving too slow . Both are horrendous when driving at night - they would nearly come to a complete halt when there is another car coming towards them on anything less than a large A road, although this problem has been exacerbated in recent years with more cars having xenon and LED lights - I find some very dazzling at night time myself! FIL (also in his 60's) uses the accelerator like an on off switch, utterly incapable of keeping it in a steady position .

My Dad will be 70 next year though and he can still steer as good as ever and would be absolutely insulted if anyone were to suggest otherwise and ask him to take another test to prove same. There was a time he had nearly every box ticked on his licence apart from motorcycles and also had additional training and qualifications through his time in the armed forces.

The amount of older drivers I get stuck behind who do 35-40mph everywhere is unreal. It can certainly cause accidents due to the impatience of people following but what really gets on my wick is when they come to a 30 they just plough on at the same speed as they were travelling before, then usually give you a dirty look when you do eventually manage to pass them safely when back in the 60!

 

[ace275]

Completely agree testing all age groups would be of benefit. Prehaps a Pass, Minor, Major, Dangerous system like the MOT. And as another said, linking it to the renewal of your license would be good, ie, you get a certificate and send it off with your renewal application

PASS - On you go
MINOR - On you go, but you could improve in these areas. Prehaps you have to do a small course on the subjects that were poor
MAJOR - On you go, but you MUST attend a course or prehaps doing a set of refresher lessons within a certain timeframe before certificate is issued
DANGEROUS - License is revoked until competent and safe driving can be demonstrated

I'd be happy with every 10 years from 17-65 or 70, then every 5 years.

Police should gain the power to bring this forward if competence is queried, ie, you are seen doing something dangerous and you have to go through the check regardless of how long it is until it is next due. Like a timer on your license.

I will be 65 in 4 years and don’t feel my driving is poor and I need to do a test again. I rode motorcycles for 20 years, also drove lorries and think my experience now means I am a better driver now than when I was 30.
I wonder will you young lads feel the same when you are my age?

If you feel your driving isn't poor then you've nothing to be concerned about. Although I'm sure there are plenty who think they are still good drivers who are not, and those who are just in denial

As I've got older, I've become more and more in favour of this, and I'm more than willing to do it myself. It's very well known the human brain slows down, reaction times get longer, eyesight/hearing gets worse and spatial / situational awareness decreases with age. Not to mention some won't have the strength anymore to perform an emergency stop or steer quickly to avoid a hazard.

I don't think anyone is picking on the elderly here. The statistics speak for themselves and as Renis pointed out, the elederly are causing the most accidents and do need to be monitored as they age

In saying that, I'm sure there are many in the older age groups who could really show up some younger drivers, and that would also be reflected by retesting.

 

[pkn]

When I finally did get space to overtake they beeped and flashed their lights at me. Utterly infuriating and potentially dangerous.

Overtaking seems like a lost art now. It's becoming more common that the person being overtaken will take offense to it. The same goes for oncoming cars who flash when you've already gone back into the left lane with LOADS of time to spare. It's as if people think overtaking is illegal and an act of aggression. Also, the amount of drivers who slam on their brakes when a car goes to overtake them is ridiculous - I never understand this, especially when there is NO traffic in the oncoming lane. It really is infuriating especially when you are overtaking a car doing 30mph in a 60mph zone in an open, straight road. I think there should be minimum speed limits on some roads.

 

[Gambit]

There are some awful drivers of all ages.

thats it in a nutshell.

 

[KevM]

Where do you draw the line though? Some Southerners (and many of which, are on N plates) are diabolical and normally lost too lol

But aye, your first paragraph sounds like what I witness on a weekly basis on the Hillhall Road. Average speed is sometimes +/- 25mph, with Zero confidence or awareness of other road users, & seem appalled if you pass them to progress your own journey.

 

[Rover Repair]

Age isn't the issue. It's driving standards. I did my test 24 years ago and havnt had to redo another since. Now I've done additional stuff with jobs etc, but surely you should be expected some kind of driver ability every 25 years at a minimum.

Also you need to start throwing out jail sentences for dangerous driving, unlegal cars, all sorts. 4 bald tyres? 5k fine or 500 hours of community service and 50 days in jail. Make people think twice about it.

 

[Boydie]

I have said this for years, a mandatory retest (no R plates after) when you hit 60/65 or after an insurance claim/accident

A basic practical and/or theory every 5-10 years, if you fail, you are not off the road but are back to something like R plates until you pass

This would perk up driver skills and awareness, increase revenue for DVLA, testers and driving instructors, etc...

 

[ace275]

big_pete said:
When I finally did get space to overtake they beeped and flashed their lights at me. Utterly infuriating and potentially dangerous.

Overtaking seems like a lost art now. It's becoming more common that the person being overtaken will take offense to it. The same goes for oncoming cars who flash when you've already gone back into the left lane with LOADS of time to spare. It's as if people think overtaking is illegal and an act of aggression. Also, the amount of drivers who slam on their brakes when a car goes to overtake them is ridiculous - I never understand this, especially when there is NO traffic in the oncoming lane. It really is infuriating especially when you are overtaking a car doing 30mph in a 60mph zone in an open, straight road. I think there should be minimum speed limits on some roads.

Definitely find this. Some people take it really badly when they are overtaken, but done safely it's a perfectly legal maneuver. But they'd rather everyone else waits on them and sits behind them.

Can't see how they see overtaking as some reckless selfish behavior, but expecting everyone to sit behind them at 35 in a 60 isn't? Makes no sense

 

[FM155]

Definitely a problem with the old but there is such a lack of 'care and attention' out there at all ages that it's impossible to single out the old as the biggest problem. Driving around I see people with their heads down or with a phone to their ears all the time. It's hard to exercise hazard perception when you're not looking ffs.

After my dad died, it was obvious that she was suffering from dementia which quickly escalated to alzhimers but because my dad had been guiding her around, none of us noticed how bad she had got. She never drove again but the thought of a 70 year old with the early stages of dementia being co-driven by a blind 79 year old makes me wonder how the frig they hadn't had some sort of accident up to that point.

 

[Martyn]

The thing is guys the older you get you don’t really think that your driving standard is decreasing.

I am getting to the age that some of you are suggesting a retest.

Tbh I see many more people on the road that I believe shouldn’t be driving - and I would say the majority are younger than me.

In the last ten years I have been through several additional driving tests to add additional categories to my driving license. I have even had to do those fancy hazard perception tests on the funky modern typewriter things along with theory tests. I passed all first time and even have a medical every 5 years to keep my licenses valid.

I am not saying I’m a perfect driver - I got my first points last year and was incredibly lucky to keep my license.

The older you get you have a little bit of a different slant on things. If the public transport system in NI was even close to adequate then the reliance on cars when people get older would be drastically reduced.

 

[Stebo]

I have a completely different view on this. I don't think drivers get worse at driving as they get older, I think it's more a case that those people were never good drivers. 50 years ago passing your driving test was a piece of piss compared to now. I remember my granny telling me that to get her license she just had to drive a few laps of the test centre while the examiner sat and watched her (not even in the car!).

I think younger generations are better drivers when they pass their test, and typically get better with experience. In another 20 years that generation of ropey drivers will no longer be with us and the problem will go away. The only reason the elderly get worse at driving is medical reasons, and their doctor should be taking their license off them if this is the case.

 

[Captain Starlet]

I was able to cycle past a queue of traffic being held up my an old lady sitting under 20mph on the road from Dundonald to Comber. If your able to cycle faster than someone driving a car in a 60mph zone then its time to hand the license back.

She beeped the horn and flashed the lights when I passed her along the footpath and hopped back onto the road once clear

 

[da.murf]

I was able to cycle past a queue of traffic being held up my an old lady sitting under 20mph on the road from Dundonald to Comber. If your able to cycle faster than someone driving a car in a 60mph zone then its time to hand the license back.

She beeped the horn and flashed the lights when I passed her along the footpath and hopped back onto the road once clear

don't lie, you where in the s2k and up on the footpath weren't you??

 

[GrantR]

only reason the elderly get worse at driving is medical reasons, and their doctor should be taking their license off them if this is the case.

Not my job to do so. I can advise them not to drive and to contact DVLA to organise assessment.

If they chose to ignore said advice starts a whole rigmarole about breaking patient confidentiality etc if patient needs reported to DVLA/PSNI.

 

[Jbridges522]

The testing everyone idea would make little to no difference imo, most terrible driving isn’t due to lack of ability, just not giving af.

Police presence and enforcement of laws would be the best way, increasing the points etc for using phones does nothing when basically no one gets caught, just look at the amount of pics posted on here while driving as an example.

 

[BabyCraig_]

Aye doctor takes licenses off them and they die from isolation as they can’t get to the shops nor are capable of using the internet….,Devils advocate but we are forgetting that whilst their standard of driving may fall far below what should be expected on a road, a lot of elderly don’t have others to rely on, taking a license off them can be the cause of isolation making them unable to self reliant and create all number of problems. It’s not justifying poor standards of driving just acknowledging it’s a wider problem

My granda surrendered his keys long before he passed, he himself didn’t feel safe. Don’t think a blanket “elderly people” are to blame is the issue, most of my close calls are caused by people not reading the road whatsoever

I’ve a number of additional driving qualifications and I am not perfect but I think realising other people aren’t confident on the road and driving to expect the complete unexpected is lost on many.

DVLA processes aren’t great and police don’t have great powers to deal either. It’s a bit of a nightmare, probably would agree with retesting but I’d personally I’d have test types for performance cars etc but that will absolutely never happen!

On the overtaking note, most are conducted for legal means nor is startling a driver who isn’t confident a great idea… care and consideration on all parts imo

 

[Snoopcousins]

Not my job to do so. I can advise them not to drive and to contact DVLA to organise assessment.

If they chose to ignore said advice starts a whole rigmarole about breaking patient confidentiality etc if patient needs reported to DVLA/PSNI.

In the same way that Police can refer/ report drivers to the DVLA for their licence to be reviewed …can Dr’s not refer them? Would make sense if they could …

The way it is atm is that DVLA have to wait until they have evidence of impaired /Ropey driving due to age/medical reasons before reviewing

 

[Jbridges522]

Just to be clear im currently in favour of the lack of police presence 90% of the time

 

[da.murf]

On the overtaking note, most are conducted for legal means nor is startling a driver who isn’t confident a great idea… care and consideration on all parts imo

you're talking about buzzing the tower aren't you....

 

[Chris Mac]

What you have to remember is that there are still people on the road who have never done a driving test.
There are medical occasions where elderly have to sity a test, I'd agree that there should be a manditory test taken at 70 then 75 then 80 etc.....