New law to retake driving test at 65

[kenbro]

It looks like someone is proposing a new law that requires older drivers to retake their driving test at the age of 65, I'm not sure what stage this is at or how far it will go but I have just been reading it in my local online news paper.
Not sure if it's already been covered.

Does that mean if you’ve psssed 65 when the rule comes in you’re exempt? .

 

[Morkai]

BS. She accelerates and brakes hard when there is no one else in the car. Don't let her take you all for mugs. Black boxes aren't a new thing. They have been refined a lot. They had them in military cars 15+ years ago. You even have to sign to say that you know that you're being 'watched'. It's amazing how much more careful the driver becomes!

It doesn't mean shes a bad driver, enthusiastic, controlled acceleration isn't illegal or bad driving if done in the correct situation.

 

[sikamalc]

You're seriously blaming the government for delaying your pension by a year? Why dodn't you blame the NHS for keeping be alive too long? People are living longer and therefore claiming their state pension for longer. That has to be paid for somehow. What about us 'youngsters' who will be working into our 70's to pay for your pension? I bet you don't care about them.
Lots of roads aren't becoming slower either.

What a pile of bollocks.
We've all worked hard and paid our share. 47 years in my case.
If you want a pension take out a private one. Over the years successive governments have raised the age to collect your pension. Some people never get to collect the miserly sum, they die early. What happens to all their payments?
Don't start blaming people who have worked hard all their lives with receiving their pension. We deserve it, many who have never bloody worked don't.

 

[MAH]

These stats are rubbish and don't take into account so many things like which age groups drive the most miles per year

On the contrary, they do reflect reality.

The degree Risk is a funcion of a Hazard and the Fequency of the Hazard.

If someone drives recklessly for one day a year, they may not get caught.

Whereas if someone drives recklessly every day of the year, they are far more likely to get caught.....And more importantly, they far more likely to cause an accident than othere groups.

The authorities try to reduce Risk by:
A.. Reducing the Hazard. Things like driver awareness courses help to change reckless behaviour.
B.. Reducing the Frequency of the Hazard by banning people who won't change thier behaviour.

Here are some more stats for you.
As I said in my original post, it's a waist of time focusing on the older group, as the stats demonstrate that they are not the high risk group.

So as you say, it's not surprising that the younger age group stands out in the statistics.
And it's not surprising insurance for that younger group is much higher.

M

 

[Len the dog]

What is the waiting time for a driving test in the UK ?

My son had to wait a few months for his theory exam, only after which he could then make a booking for his practical exam, this was another 9 months and our area had one of the shortest waiting times.
Fortunately there is an app and for a one off fee of £17 it will constantly check the booking site for cancellations to fit your chosen criteria for dates, times & location. Using this he managed to shorten that by about 3 months.

Now can you imagine adding the older portion of drivers back into the system, even if they only had to resit once at 65 that would add significantly to wait times, but what if over 65’s have to be tested again at an even older age?

 

[willowbank]

what wars are these?

How dare you even think that, let alone post it.... how old are you??

Willowbank

 

[Len the dog]

Nobody in my family has one, I'm referring to reading up reviews on them prior to picking a policy. Many parents are now avoiding them. Things like driving at night, the black box marks you down (even though you don't stop paying for insurance past 1900)

Again, we chose a policy that doesn’t have a curfew or mileage limitation, my son is free to drive wherever and whenever he likes, it also covers him for driving on the continent for up to 90 days in a year.
If people have policies with draconian restrictions it’s because they either aren’t looking into it closely enough or they are choosing the absolute rock bottom cheapest.

 

[baguio]

What a pile of bollocks.
We've all worked hard and paid our share. 47 years in my case.
If you want a pension take out a private one. Over the years successive governments have raised the age to collect your pension. Some people never get to collect the miserly sum, they die early. What happens to all their payments?
Don't start blaming people who have worked hard all their lives with receiving their pension. We deserve it, many who have never bloody worked don't.

Whatever Malc. The average person is living longer and that needs to be paid for. How else do you suggest that any government balnaces the books? They could of course lower the amount every OAP receives. What them cry then.

 

[baguio]

On the contrary, they do reflect reality.

The degree Risk is a funcion of a Hazard and the Fequency of the Hazard.

If someone drives recklessly for one day a year, they may not get caught.

Whereas if someone drives recklessly every day of the year, they are far more likely to get caught.....And more importantly, they far more likely to cause an accident than othere groups.

The authorities try to reduce Risk by:
A.. Reducing the Hazard. Things like driver awareness courses help to change reckless behaviour.
B.. Reducing the Frequency of the Hazard by banning people who won't change thier behaviour.

Here are some more stats for you.
As I said in my original post, it's a waist of time focusing on the older group, as the stats demonstrate that they are not the high risk group.

So as you say, it's not surprising that the younger age group stands out in the statistics.
And it's not surprising insurance for that younger group is much higher.

M
View attachment 353012

Are you deliberately ignoring the fact that younger people will be out late at night and parked outside night clubs where theft and vandalism happens? Lifestyle is a big part of the reason for youngsters paying more and not simply accidents.

 

[Len the dog]

Are you deliberately ignoring the fact that younger people will be out late at night and parked outside night clubs where theft and vandalism happens? Lifestyle is a big part of the reason for youngsters paying more and not simply accidents.

That risk is covered by the policy excess. The fact still remains that, statistically, younger drivers are involved in more accidents and the outcome of those accidents tends to be more severe.

 

[Martiniblack577]

Reading the attached LSE article it is clear that the gripes against the Boomers (of which I am one, before anyone asks) could be transferred to any generational divide in any country since the Middle Ages and probably before. "Your generation cut down so many trees that now we have to dig for coal and make ships out of iron". Or "your generation used so many horses the piles of horse **** overwhelmed our cities and we had to invent motor vehicles" and so on. As a younger neighbour who is in his own mind a terribly clever chap and well informed on any subject you care to bring up said to me a while ago "Your generation screwed things up for mine" to which I replied, "Yes, by building the educational establishments and providing the teachers, building the hospitals and providing the staff to keep you well, inventing many of the items you take for granted in technology, fighting wars to assure your liberty". For once he was stuck for words.

The "generational divide" is a nonsensical concept dreamed up by a few journalists educated courtesy of the previous generation they are maligning and does not bear scrutiny. Every generation makes mistakes as will Generation Z and the rest.

So you are refusing to take ownership of the the present issues mentioned?

 

[MAH]

Are you deliberately ignoring the fact that younger people will be out late at night and parked outside night clubs where theft and vandalism happens? Lifestyle is a big part of the reason for youngsters paying more and not simply accidents.

No I'm not.
The main thrust of my post was, the authorities should not spend tax payer's money introducing new controls on a group of people who are not the high risk group.

My comment drawing a correlational with insurance premium was a valid point, but a side line.
You are right, a small amount of the risk companies consider will be the points you make.
M

 

[User00047]

How dare you even think that, let alone post it.... how old are you??

Willowbank

I am asking Wapinchaw (or anyone else) what are these wars that boomers have fought to “assure my liberty”
Because they must have missed out covering this in history lessons

 

[ColinJ]

Anyone who thinks there shouldn’t be a retest obviously doesn’t spend much time on the roads.
I spend my days driving around the Sussex coast. It’s retirement heaven down here, definitely God’s waiting room. After 10am all the little cars come out and head to the local garden centres. Many of them can hardly see over the steering wheel. The standard of driving is frightening.

 

[Dickie]

If the retirement age continues to rise would this driving test rise with it? Would the firms employing the 65+ when the retirement age becomes 70 pay for the test and the time off work for it? Another really well thought out plan.

 

[bowji john]

I think it is a great idea

UK PLC is absolutely swimming in extra cash

The Forces have far more kit and training budgets than they will ever need

The world is absolutely happy with no hint of conflict on the horizon

Energy is almost free (thanks to the efforts of the road blocking tree huggers)

Absolutely ! we should drop a billion or two on annual driving test for the over 65s

It should also be extended to annual test for competence for using escalators, lifts, bikes

… and for the young …

An exam before Getting out of bed before mid day

 

[Warren79]

if I cant retire at 65 sure as hell not resitting my test

 

[Wapinschaw]

I am asking Wapinchaw (or anyone else) what are these wars that boomers have fought to “assure my liberty”
Because they must have missed out covering this in history lessons

You asked “what are these wars that boomers have fought to assure my liberty”

According to The National Archives, Baby Boomers are people who were born between 1946 and 1964 National Archives

Baby Boomers therefore came of military age (18) in 1966 and would have retired aged 55 in 2001. The last Boomers would have attained military age (18) in 1982 and will be serving until 2037 (age 55). For the purposes of this discussion I will consider that Boomers are those who have been in UK Forces service from 1966 and will be for some time yet.

The first conflict this cohort would have served in is thus Aden/Radfan, officially 1964-1967 in which 90 British military fatalities were sustained along with 510 wounded. The strategic objective was to retain control of the entrance to the Red Sea, exactly what is going on today.

In 1969 Communist insurgents from Yemen began infiltration into southern Oman, the Dhofar Province. Their objective was destabilisation and take over of Oman, handing control of the Strait of Hormuz to Chinese/Russian backed interests. Iran, at the time still Persia, was also interested in Hormuz, as vital a shipping artery then as it is now. A total of 25 British service personnel are known to have died during this conflict. I served at RAF Salalah during this conflict and was awarded the General Service Medal (Dhofar). This conflict was declared over in 1977.

In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait in what has become known as the First Gulf War. This was a large scale conflict involving a number of nations and resulted in the withdrawal of Iraqi forces at a cost of 47 British service personnel’s lives.

In 1982 the invasion by Argentina of the Falkland Islands was repulsed at a cost of 255 British service personnel ‘s lives.

The second Gulf War of 2003-2009 cost 179 British military lives.

The “troubles” in Northern Ireland between 1969 and 2007 cost 1,441 British military lives.

Besides these shooting wars there were a number of “cold” conflicts, principally The Cold War between the USSR and NATO from 1945 – 1990. While there are no officially recognised UK military casualties, UK forces were on a high state of alert for extended periods in order to deter the USSR from breaking out of East Germany and overrunning Western Europe, a fear re-emerging as a consequence of the Ukraine invasion.

There have also been Royal Navy missile submarines on continuous patrol since 1969, armed with several generations of strategic nuclear missiles capable of wreaking massive destruction on an aggressor. British forces have also been stationed for decades in strategic locations such as Bahrain (I was there in 1971) and Sharjah (I was there in in 1971/72) to provide support to the free movement of oil and gas cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz.

While you may not consider any of the above to be “wars fought to assure liberty” they were situations in which British service personnel served and died to protect the interests of the UK and the West as a whole. To those who died they were most certainly in a war. I was there in a few of these places, as were several others who visit these pages. Any one of us could have been called on to face serious injury or even death during our service in these places and we would have faced it to the best of our ability according to our Oath of Allegiance.

I did not miss out on history lessons, I was there for several small parts of it. What have you done for the UK and Western interests?

 

[David.evans]

Anyone who thinks there shouldn’t be a retest obviously doesn’t spend much time on the roads.
I spend my days driving around the Sussex coast. It’s retirement heaven down here, definitely God’s waiting room. After 10am all the little cars come out and head to the local garden centres. Many of them can hardly see over the steering wheel. The standard of driving is frightening.

Colin
One day you will own a little red car and be off to the garden centre , please drive carefully on your way there
Atb

 

[User00047]

While you may not consider any of the above to be “wars fought to assure liberty”

Precisely.