Oap Drivers? Should They Be Made To Take There Tests Again?

[grantley1988 1]

As above really. Earlier on, I was driving down the road, when driving past a junction an oap pulled straight out on me. He would have gone bang into the side of me had I not swerved out of the way! He didn't even notice what he had done! It was on an open road in bright day light, how could I not be seen??

Has anyone else been the victim of oap drivers and do you think they should be made to take there test again? Or to make sure they are fit to drive our roads?

[welshpug 1,657]

IMO everyone should have to take a refresher test, as well as making the test much harder.

[mfield 20]

I once had an old guy overtake me in a national speed limit area, the bad bit was I was turning right

[SurGie 54]

IMO everyone should have to take a refresher test, as well as making the test much harder.

 

 

I totally agree with this .

 

As well as new drivers having to take the motorway test after the initial test.

[Iain-gti 6]

I was in a doctors cart park waiting for my girlfriend to come out, when this old man reversed and parked next to me. As he was reversing i thought your going to reverse straight into me so i got out. Just as i did he reverse into me so i should behind the car and hit the back window, to my amazement he kept reversing into my car. So i hit and shouted again and again he kept reversing straight into the side of my car so i opened his drivers door and said "what the f*** are you doing" and he didn't even realise he was reversing into my car, even through his car wasn't moving as it was using mine as a wedge. He then came over to look at the lovely plastic scratch down my rear wheel arch and he could even see the MASSIVE scratch. He was standing about a foot away, it very worrying.

[Toddy 7]

Along with people who are half asleep and drive past Gatso/Truvelo cameras ...the irony, we all make mistakes, young or old

[HERMAN 33]

IMO everyone should have to take a refresher test, as well as making the test much harder.

 

 

I tottaly agree. There are lots of drivers on the road young and old who would fall there test just for not making good progress, eg, dithering, stopping at clear islands, and dont get me started on middle lane drivers.

People should be made to show that they have good reactions, good eyesight, and a good understanding or the road.

[24seven 104]

IMO everyone should have to take a refresher test, as well as making the test much harder.

 

 

Also agreed. The hazard perception thing is a complete joke. The driving test itself is too easy pass as well, so much so that they have to be pedantic about how they score drivers so that they don't allow too many people to pass. For the first year at least I think new drivers should not be allowed to drive unaccompanied, and before being issued a provisional and being let loose in public there should be a skidpan/general car handling test like they have in Sweden. The highway code, when to/not to indicate, roadsigns etc is only a smll part of driving and it's the only part really tested.

[Baz 421]

Agree with the above, hesitation/inconfidence or just slow reactions are as bad as anything else, but it does seem that older people are worse and should have a refresher, or just a re-test to see if they're still capable.

 

The old woman that lives over the road from me is terrible, crawls down roads at massively slow speeds, has very slow reactions and generally has no idea what the cars going to do. She spends literally half an hour plus parking outside her house because she can't grasp what the steering wheel will do when reversing, and when she's finally looking like she's finished gets out of the car, has a look and on most occasions decides to get back in and have another go, or just move it a few cm's for the hell of it, i genuinely think she's past it, and a danger on the road.

[Cameron 16]

IMO everyone should have to take a refresher test, as well as making the test much harder.

 

Been saying this for years now, refresher theory every 2 years and a practical every 6, something like that. Also people with foreign licenses should have to take a British test as some of theirs are a total joke!

[muddatrucker 125]

Definitely assuming its free it can't be seen as unfair.

[Cameron 16]

Not free, you should still have to pay for it. Driving isn't a human right, and certainly isn't for everyone. If you can't afford £20 or so every few years for a re-test then how can you afford keep your car in a roadworthy condition? The fewer people on the roads the better!

[welshpug 1,657]

Not free, you should still have to pay for it. Driving isn't a human right, and certainly isn't for everyone.

 

 

I agree, and that's the main problem is that people see it as a right to drive rather than something they want to and aspire to do well, which means standards have slipped dramatically.

 

 

I didn't take my test till I was 22 as I didn't see the need or necessity to have a car until then, but so many people see their 17th birthday as the day they earn the right to have a driving licence, which is wrong IMO, you should earn a driving licence by showing you want to and can drive to a good standard.

[grantley1988 1]

Along with people who are half asleep and drive past Gatso/Truvelo cameras ...the irony, we all make mistakes, young or old

 

Is that aimed at me good work! That was my speedo's fault!

[notamondayfan 44]

OAPs should be banned from driving on the road between 7am - 9am and 5pm - 7pm! Netto will still be open at 10am!!

[swordfish210 20]

I also think a refresher course every now and again would be a great idea. When i used to do deliverys for a job i would see so many examples of bad driving, not just from old people.

 

I think the worst drivers on the road are the ones who don't pay attention, the people who just blindly pull out on to a roundabout without looking and then swerve off of it, cutting up most of the traffic in the wake. A cyclist was killed in Chippenham a few weeks back (i was unlucky enough to see the result of the accident) because a driver had swiped him at the roundabout and crushed him as he went under the car. The dumbass driver had to do a loop of the roundabout though to see what they hit...f***ing moron.

[Cameron 16]

Wow, that's pretty bad! Yeah idiots who don't pay attention are bad, as are the people who are scared and over-react when something unexpected happens. I stopped at an accident on the M25 a few months back where a young girl had crashed after swerving when the person next to her put their indicator on to change lanes. She panicked and swerved causing her to lose coltrol and hit the central res, then get spat back across the whole motorway to hit the hard shoulder.

[Cameron 16]

Oh, also, people with too much (misplaced) confidence in their ability! A couple of my mates at uni are terrifying to be in a car with, yet constantly bitch about the standard of other people's driving ability.

[muddatrucker 125]

Oh, also, people with too much (misplaced) confidence in their ability! A couple of my mates at uni are terrifying to be in a car with, yet constantly bitch about the standard of other people's driving ability.

As with everything, everyone thinks they're intelligent, funny, sexy, good at driving, etc.

 

I am all of the above btw!

[arwel 43 2 Cars]

I personally think that a few things need to change. At the moment when you reach 70 you have to apply for a renewal every 2 years i think it is and any medical conditions or your fitness to drive is self certified. This needs to change. How many people are out there who are just plain ignorant about their health and are convinced they are fine to drive?

 

Another thing, maybe not a retest at a certain age but at least some kind of assesmeant when they reach the age of 65 for example. If the assesor thinks their below standard then a refresher course should be undertaken.

[Cameron 16]

Maybe put a black cross on a yellow background to warn people that they're elderly drivers?

 

I'm sure that violates some "basic human right" by singling them out but honestly, who cares?

[muddatrucker 125]

Kill old people at birth!

[SurGie 54]

More assessments, more money, less people on the road, all the better for the good drivers and insurance quotes.

[SurGie 54]

Sh*t sorry, double post due to internet connections.

Edited July 6, 2010 by SurGie

[Cameron 16]

Oap Drivers? Should They Be Made To Take There Tests Again?

 

Just noticed this. Someone needs to resit GCSE English..