[Closed] about time...

i was discussing exactly this with a mate on the weekend, needs doing tbh

how about tightening up the rules for starting to drive first

I don't think it should be limited by age. I think we should have mandatory refresher checks / tests after, say 10 years.

imo younger drivers are a problem, not just the oldies.

I think banned drivers should have to retest or at least a compulsory refresher course

imo younger drivers are a problem, not just the oldies.

While this is true, younger drivers will always be an issue due to mentality/lack of maturity/so on and so on.

Older drivers causing accidents by not being capable of driving safely any more is easily tested for and preventable.

[quote=cinnamon_girl ]imo younger drivers are a problem, not just the oldies.
Funnily enough the insurance companies (those folk that have all the accident statistics) completely agree with you.

I don't think it should be limited by age. I think we should have mandatory refresher checks / tests after, say 10 years

Yup.

Its not just older drivers that are the problem, its older people generally. As a society we simply can't afford to keep them in Werthers Originals and hip replacements any more.

There needs to be a cull. Like with the badgers, but for people who smell of wee, and stop in the middle of supermarket isles for no apparent reason

And I thought this was going to he a Cotic Rocket thread 😉

I think a certain amount of complacency starts creeping in and people begin to think that years of experience is a substitute for indicating, obeying the highway code, looking when entering roundabouts, etc.

I see so much driving (including from professional drivers) which would be a big fat fail if you did it during a driving test! I am totally in favour of regular re-tests for everyone and IMO there would be far fewer accidents with regular testing focusing on the basis: safety, observation, hazard perception & considerate driving.

I'd also be in favour of psychological testing to ensure certain types of person never even get issued a licence in the first place but I can't see that one ever becoming popular! 😀

i'm 18 and drive sensibly but it's the majority of clowns who think they are Ken block that ruin it for the rest of us!

rumple - Member
i'm 18 and drive sensibly but it's the majority of clowns who think they are Ken block that ruin it for the rest of us!

There needs to be a cull. Like with the badgers, but for people who smell of wee, and stop in the middle of supermarket isles for no apparent reason

Only after there's been a cull of people who can't spell 'aisles', for no apparent reason.

Seriously, though, while I do agree that bad driving is more common amongst the young and old, driving standards in general are pretty abysmal.
Not quite as bad as some other countries, I'll admit, but we're getting worse. (Makes a change for us to be catching the foreigners up in some category)
Regular retests (maybe even with some degree of randomness/short notice, to prevent people from swotting up) are a good idea - definitely after a driving offence.
I also think that having to ride a bike as an early part of the driving test would change people's attitude and make them more aware of how considerate they should be when behind the wheel (not that [u]everybody[/u] shouldn't be considerate)

I'd like to see mandatory retests every "x" years, plus additional to this for anyone involved in a crash (or speeding above a vertain threshold)

Regular retests (maybe even with some degree of randomness/short notice, to prevent people from swotting up) are a good idea

That's perverse. Regular assessment in this case isnt intended to catch someone out being incompetent but to encourage continued learning, a commitment to competence and identify in some cases physical/mental limitations. It's not like jumping a tax investigation on someone.

I agree that all 6 point offences should automatically require a retest (but not loss of licence prior to test).

And 2-yearly physical/mental assessment by an independent (i.e. no their GP) person for those over 70.

A few thoughts, maybe no solutions though !

In my view, the most potentially dangerous drivers are youngsters, who sit behind a screen and drive instead of sitting in front of one and have zero understanding of the concept of inertia, or who simply don't give a **** about anyone else.

Elderly drivers who struggle to walk / see / hear, let alone drive.

Bus drivers on schedules. Lorry drivers late to get loaded who don't want to miss getting tipped at destination. Taxi drivers who just want the next fare.

"Light wars" . Anyone notice how, despite rules on height, intensity , colour and position joe soap seems to get away with illuminating his vehicle in any way he sees fit ? This I'm sorry to say must also include cyclists, who , I my view in addition to flashing bike, head and body illumination, should at least have lights which fit the legal spec.
My reason being that light intensity and position allow everyone to be better able to judge distance and space at night.
I have mates who regularly ride a short connecting section on one of our off-road routes, that ride a footpath on the right facing oncoming traffic, with trail lights full on. Let's get a bad name for ourselves then.

Mandatory retests for the disqualified and no option to retest til all fines paid.

I like the " random" retest idea , a lot.

Disqualification for hand held phone use or texting while driving.

......... Going for a lie down now.

More Traffic Police & fewer cameras would be a start.

i'm 18 and drive sensibly but it's the majority of clowns who think they are Ken block that ruin it for the rest of us!

It's not just outright stupidity that gets people it's lack of experience. In the first few years of driving you have some near misses (and it's mostly luck that stops a near miss being an accident), as you get more experienced you spot these before they even become near misses.

I know I'm better/safer/less risk than I was 10 years ago, and I was an entirely sensible driver too, I'm now just a sensible driver and better/safer/less risk than I was.

Regular retests (maybe even with some degree of randomness/short notice, to prevent people from swotting up) are a good idea

That's perverse. Regular assessment in this case isnt intended to catch someone out being incompetent but to encourage continued learning, a commitment to competence and identify in some cases physical/mental limitations. It's not like jumping a tax investigation on someone.