Driving whilst unfit

Eyefor

Well-Known Member
I would be grateful if you could you please consider signing this petition

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/21244

(may need to copy & paste?).

A teenager was killed by a pensioner driver who lost control of their vehicle. The object of the petition is to get a review of the law so that Police can suspend the licences of people considered unfit to drive.

It might reduce the number of 35mph Clio's / Micra's etc on the roads?

Thanks in advance.

Iain
 
There is currently a form that police officers can send to the DVLA regarding people who are potentially unfit to drive.
It includes the elderly drug users to name a couple of examples.
Basically if you have enough concern, the form is completed and sent off and the DVLA arrange the person to turn up to be assessed within 21 days.
If they do not turn up their license is suspended and they are informed in writing.
 
Hmmm well let's face it a lot of the younger driver are really unfit to be in control of a vehicle. Like the school runs mums/dads who are more interested in little Johnnies drawings he did that what is around the car and on the road.. How about we thin some of them out a bit?
 
i do think it does need to change ,my experience was a friends dad in his 80's. no problem with older drivers if they still have the ability but in my friends case he would crash into everything and was definately not safe to drive every panel was dented and more to the point it could have been someone injured or killed i spent ages talking to my friend who in the end went to the doctors to ask him to help him get his license revoked as he was dangerouse but the doctor said he would be taking his independance away from him so wouldnt,the last straw was his dad ended up driving down the wrong side of a dual carriage way fortunately no accident and so he ended up taking the car off him
 
Because of Glaucoma [ a notifiable disease] , I had my licence taken away from me nearly 3 years ago.
I had no accident record and full `no-claims` bonuses.
We appealed via another eye test by an optician but were overuled, no licence and my sporting and photographic interests screwed up.
I am now on an electric all-terrain scooter yet I managed to score 2 X 119/120 and 1 X 120/120 at our three annual stalkers DMQ type rifle shoots this past year.
It is not we `wrinklies ` [ I am 78 ] who cause the majority of accidents but young bucks full of drink and possibly drugs plus illegals with no licences or insurance.

HWH.
 
stag i dont think your situation was fair at all and i do also agree that most accidents are caused by young kids what it does show that know matter what test people do once they have past a test you are able to do anything.
 
How does no sound

Everyone who lights a cigarette in a car is unfit as is anyone who uses a mobile phone or eats something at the wheel

The other is those on prescription medicine and over the counter medicines

Now we are all guilty of something ,accidents happen people are killed every day on the uk roads by a cross section of the drivers out there

So no
 
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Sort of brings the DSC and certain folks reliance upon it as a measure of competence in question then does it not?


After all it's just a test at the end of it all.

I wonder if those who so clearly displayed their wonder gun safety and handling skills on the video also have their DSC certificates?

We stopped dad driving some years ago as he was becoming unsafe. He still hold a grudge against us for it. It's a matter of time before Mother also has to stop but we are not at that point as yet thankfully.

Sadly the immigrant and illegal driving problems are not new and the Police don't seem to care about doing anything about it even if they were "allowed" to.
 
stag i dont think your situation was fair at all and i do also agree that most accidents are caused by young kids what it does show that know matter what test people do once they have past a test you are able to do anything.

do you think that averages dicatate the figures, as the are alot more 17,18,19 year olds driving around tha 75 80 year olds.
One thing is for sure, i bet the % of elderly people driving round with with drugs in there system is alot higher than the % of teenagers !

Widows Son : the best answer to this debate i have seen yet :tiphat:

only last week in my local town a 78 year old man managed to drive his corsa through a shop window, in doing so he crossed the pavement in a very busy high street!! its a dead straight rd with a 30mph limit !!
 
As people get older, their reactions slow down. In addition to that, eyesight fails some times catastrophically, peripheral vision is all but lost, space perception gets VERY distorted and hand eye coordination is, at best, seriously impaired. All the above are a massive problem when driving a vehicle. For example, as little as a second in reaction time can make the difference between life and death. I think a periodic test of all drivers over a certain age, (say 60) is both reasonable and beneficial to the public.
 
My dad lives in a village with no shop,no bus route, if his licence is taken away life will change greatly for him, he may have to move to a flat or home, this is not what i would want for him.
The joys of becoming old i have this to look forward to SO DO YOU GUYS
 
My dad lives in a village with no shop,no bus route, if his licence is taken away life will change greatly for him, he may have to move to a flat or home, this is not what i would want for him.
The joys of becoming old i have this to look forward to SO DO YOU GUYS
we had a similar situation, however he decided on his own that he was no longer safe to drive, and in my opinion he made it at the right time, he hated it but realised he could be a danger to other road users, however every situation is different.
But in answer to the original poster i would not support the petition.
cheers
richard
 
my old man's 67 and i will not get in a car with him(neither will my brother)and i race full contact motor sport.lol and before anybody says owt i,ve never been claimed of in 20 yrs of driving. touch wood. but not just old folk as others have said the young guns need more training/testing in my eyes aswell. stav
 
If you are going to train and test drivers, start with the f*#$ing bus drivers - none of them know how to park parallel to the edge of the road.
 
As people get older, their reactions slow down. In addition to that, eyesight fails some times catastrophically, peripheral vision is all but lost, space perception gets VERY distorted and hand eye coordination is, at best, seriously impaired. All the above are a massive problem when driving a vehicle. For example, as little as a second in reaction time can make the difference between life and death. I think a periodic test of all drivers over a certain age, (say 60) is both reasonable and beneficial to the public.

I take it you are not 59 years old then?

I travel the M77 every day in 6 months of the year on a motorcycle. now I see folk putting make up on, using mobile phones and ****ing about with sat nav's daily. Never mind the mindless jobbyholes who smoke in their cars with kids in the back getting cancer and the muppets who cannot use the demisters to clear more than a 12" circle of a windscreen, they have periferal visoin normally just not when it fecking rains.

Apply the laws you already have before youy start inventing new ones. OK clear enough. Too many rules already. It is up to family and friends to assist and guide old folk not a 25 year old copper.

I could go on but hope you get the picture, accidents happen, blame is applied and guilt felt. Loss is heartfelt, more rules and less accountability by those closest is not the answer.
 
I take it you are not 59 years old then?

I travel the M77 every day in 6 months of the year on a motorcycle. now I see folk putting make up on, using mobile phones and ****ing about with sat nav's daily. Never mind the mindless jobbyholes who smoke in their cars with kids in the back getting cancer and the muppets who cannot use the demisters to clear more than a 12" circle of a windscreen, they have periferal visoin normally just not when it fecking rains.

Apply the laws you already have before youy start inventing new ones. OK clear enough. Too many rules already. It is up to family and friends to assist and guide old folk not a 25 year old copper.

I could go on but hope you get the picture, accidents happen, blame is applied and guilt felt. Loss is heartfelt, more rules and less accountability by those closest is not the answer.

No, I am not 59. ;) Some old people are capable of driving, some are not. Like in any other age group. But the difference is that with any other age group, it is down to incompetence/stupidity of the driver, and in these cases unfit to drive persons accumulate points in their licence and get banned. With older people, their bad driving is down to the reasons I explained. There are no provisions in the law for points to be added in one's licence for driving dangerously slow, or taking too long to react to a child crossing the street. It is almost impossible to implement and would be considered ageism. I never suggested there should be a blanket ban on older people. All I said is test and retest them. Exactly what is happening when someone, irrespective of their age, is deemed dangerous and/or unsafe to drive and they lose their licence. They have to re apply for it. Why should that not apply to older people?
 
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