Older drivers...

[mentalboy]

I know how much BCF loves signing petitions but this is an issue that I've been moaning about to my friends for about the last thirty years and have probably mentioned once or twice on here!

It is aimed specifically at people like my stepfather who make a nuisance of themselves every time they get behind a wheel - in his case it's having almost no sight in one eye, crappy sight in the other, no sense of coordination and no social awareness that he might actually be of considerable danger to others. He scares the shit out of me every time I find myself as his passenger, despite the fact that the ignorant old goat doesn't tend to exceed 50mph. (Although it'd still be two years before he'd be affected by this particular petition's call for legislation )
This is made worse by the fact that he's tootling around in a Discovery not some tiddler like a Fiat 500. Earlier this year I replaced the rear bumper that he'd managed to bend on more than one occasion, not sure why I bothered because the heavy steel plate is once more twisted at either side!!!

Unlike some of the more poorly scripted petitions one finds on this particular site this one is readable and makes a lot of sense so, if you would be so kind, read it and sign here, ta

[someotherguy]

Signed

[WD Forte]

Fuck yeah!
Get the oldies off the road.
Us younger ones is fuckin brilliant drivers ain't we?
specially us with Audi and Beemers
Get rid of the codgers and the carnage will end immediately
and kittens wil be able to play safely at the roadside once again.
After that lets stop the unemployed and disabled as well then we can start in on those crazy fuckers on two wheels.
Ban them all!
cept for me
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bikers smell of wee

[Rogerborg]

70 is too high, but it's a start. I imagine many (most?) drivers would fail a re-test. My mother has never been competent.

If you use a real email address, be sure to go on to:

https://www.change.org/en-GB/account_settings/edit_email_preferences
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Ste]

Age-appropriate (which is a very ambiguous phrase) retesting every three years? DSA haven't got the staff for that.

[mentalboy]

[.Bishbash.]

[Nexus Icon]

You don't retake your test, you just get a letter of competency from the GP.

Personally, I don't think a full retest is necessary but I do think that you should be required to provide letters of competency from an optician as well as a GP.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Copycat73]

not gonna happen .. a medicle is enough... i work with drivers in their 70`s and this blanket aproach will not work either dsa don`t have enough testers or politicians won`t enact it because they`ll loose votes..
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Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[mentalboy]

[Nexus Icon]

[Polarbear]

In the same reasoning, why allow 17/18 year olds that haven't got anything between their ears and ride/drive like loonies to take a driving test.

Make the driving test age 20, it will be much more effective at reducing accidents.

Check the demographics of age and accidents.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Rogerborg]

[Tracey Suntan-King]

No I won't be signing. And not just because I'm on the brink of old ladyhood either.

(Snigger, old ladyhood sounds a bit rude!)

Driving abilities are of dubious quality in many drivers of many ages.

This petition assumes inability by virtue of age which is simply not the case. I can't be bothered to provide links to the many serious accidents that hit the headlines where drivers under the age of 70 have caused death and mayhem to themselves and others. You've all read them.

Safety on the road is a combination of driver ability, vehicle condition, weather, road geometry and traffic conditions. Shitty things happen for many reasons many times a day involving drivers of all ages.

Compulsory testing will cause stress and possibly distress to people. Why should they have to prove they're fit? Testing assumes they are not, just because they've managed to live a long while.

What ever happened to personal responsibility? Just because someone has lived a long time doesn't make them incapable of knowing their responsibilities behind the wheel. If they fail to heed those responsibilities and cause an accident as a result of an undeclared impairment, the full weight of the law will prevail.
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[Baffler186]

I think a mandatory sight test at 65 would be enough. Little resource needed from DVLA. IME lots of older people drive the way they do because they can't see well enough, but when your eyesight has been getting slowly worse for years you might not be aware that you can't see very well.
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[Nexus Icon]

[mentalboy]

[Rogerborg]

[hellkat]

Lady Suntan is older than me so I don't need to do the petition either

I fucking hate petitions.

I did one (ages ago) and 38 Degrees kept sending me excessively emotive but absolutely weedy-reason petitions to follow, so I fucked them off out of it.

I think I've signed something recently cos I noticed that 38 Degrees have started sending me emails again - but I rarely follow the crowds of sheep.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[hellkat]

[Tracey Suntan-King]

The Equality Act 2010 outlaws discrimination on the basis of age.

While the Act applies to the workplace and employment practice, it also signals a frame of legislative mind that inferior treatment of a person on the basis of age alone is undesirable.

As such then, compulsory testing of drivers purely because of their age would be contrary to the notion of equality. It'll never be law.

TSK Fighting for the right to drive badly since....well I can't quite remember.

Toot toot get out of my way.......
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[Rogerborg]

[ScaredyCat]

[Polarbear]

[iooi]

A very simple and cheap addition would be to make everyone have to provide a site test every 10 years.
Simple as you have to renew your licence anyway.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......