ADUK Archive

Signed and tweeted!

Whilst I have the deepest and utmost sympathy with the bereaved family in this case I do not agree with the sentiments expressed in the petition.

I am not aware of any evidence that drivers over the age of 70 are more of a risk than 20 year old drivers. Indeed all the evidence points to the age group that is most at risk of causing an accident is the 17 to 25 age group. Rather than a petition aimed at the older driver why not start a petition for the compulsory annual retesting of any driver under the age of 25?

This has been, and no doubt continues to be, a terrible tragedy for the family involved. Unfortunately the petition is clearly an understandable but emotional response to what has been an unspeakable and almost unbearable loss on the part of the husband. Regrettably the sentiments expressed in the petition are neither logical nor equitable.

A very sad case for all involved.

hir wrote:Rather than a petition aimed at the older driver why not start a petition for the compulsory annual retesting of any driver under the age of 25?

Why not compulsory retesting for EVERY driver at ANY age?

With deep sympathy but As hir.... There's no evidence base for this. It's feels more like BRAKE...

hir wrote:I am not aware of any evidence that drivers over the age of 70 are more of a risk than 20 year old drivers. Indeed all the evidence points to the age group that is most at risk of causing an accident is the 17 to 25 age group.

I agree that if we seek to remove high risk age groups from the roads we would, in the short term at least, be better off removing young drivers. Why not a minimum age for licence holders of 25?

hir wrote:Rather than a petition aimed at the older driver why not start a petition for the compulsory annual retesting of any driver under the age of 25?

If we are dealing with relative risk what would compulsory retesting achieve in a class of drivers where risk decreases over time rather than increases?

Page 7 has some claims stats. for age groups.

https://www.abi.org.uk/~/media/Files/Do ... 202014.pdf

MGF wrote:

hir wrote:

hir wrote:Rather than a petition aimed at the older driver why not start a petition for the compulsory annual retesting of any driver under the age of 25?

If we are dealing with relative risk what would compulsory retesting achieve in a class of drivers where risk decreases over time rather than increases?

That part of my post quoted above had a rhetorical element to it. The answer to the question I posed is...you wouldn't. I trust that clarifies the matter.

MGF wrote:

hir wrote:I am not aware of any evidence that drivers over the age of 70 are more of a risk than 20 year old drivers. Indeed all the evidence points to the age group that is most at risk of causing an accident is the 17 to 25 age group.

I agree that if we seek to remove high risk age groups from the roads we would, in the short term at least, be better off removing young drivers. Why not a minimum age for licence holders of 25?

Because, of course, it doesn't matter that I may need to be able to drive after I finish my degree at university in order to get a decent job.
Everybody who thinks that a minimum age of 25 or something, should be a requirement in order to get a driving licence seem to forget that even the younger people need to have the ability to drive in order to get jobs and stuff. If middle aged people think younger people should be relying on public transport in order to get to jobs after university, why don't older drivers who are in their 40's use public transport? Would really ease congestion on the roads if all the self-centered adults were removed off the roads.

If you put a minimum age of drivers at 25, it would just mean that drivers 25-30 would be rubbish.

I am an old fogey, and I see no problem in principle to regular retesting of +70 drivers, it's just that it would be an administrative and logistical nightmare to do it, and the problems may well outweigh the benefits.

TheInsanity1234 wrote:

MGF wrote:

hir wrote:I am not aware of any evidence that drivers over the age of 70 are more of a risk than 20 year old drivers. Indeed all the evidence points to the age group that is most at risk of causing an accident is the 17 to 25 age group.

I agree that if we seek to remove high risk age groups from the roads we would, in the short term at least, be better off removing young drivers. Why not a minimum age for licence holders of 25?

Because, of course, it doesn't matter that I may need to be able to drive after I finish my degree at university in order to get a decent job.
Everybody who thinks that a minimum age of 25 or something, should be a requirement in order to get a driving licence seem to forget that even the younger people need to have the ability to drive in order to get jobs and stuff. If middle aged people think younger people should be relying on public transport in order to get to jobs after university, why don't older drivers who are in their 40's use public transport? Would really ease congestion on the roads if all the self-centered adults were removed off the roads.

I agree with you. For very young drivers, such as yourself, to be excluded from driving would be a totally unreasonable obstruction to their ability to function normally in the modern world.

Much as I feel sympathy and compassion towards the tragically bereaved husband, I am not supporting this petition. I simply do not believe that mandatory re-testing of all drivers within a particular group, however that group is identified, is justified. If we were able to establish that the existence of a clear problem amongst a particular group, that might be a different matter, but as far as I'm aware that has not been done.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

A better move would be to have GPs sign a form every few years to state that a driver is medically ok as it seems to me that most incidents among the elderly are in some way medically related

ROG wrote:A better move would be to have GPs sign a form every few years to state that a driver is medically ok as it seems to me that most incidents among the elderly are in some way medically related

It's a thought, but I bet they would would charge for it ....

ROG wrote:A better move would be to have GPs sign a form every few years to state that a driver is medically ok as it seems to me that most incidents among the elderly are in some way medically related

What medical tests [in order to determine "medically ok"] would be required to be carried out and reported upon?

How are you defining "elderly"?

hir wrote:

mgf wrote:If we are dealing with relative risk what would compulsory retesting achieve in a class of drivers where risk decreases over time rather than increases?

That part of my post quoted above had a rhetorical element to it. The answer to the question I posed is...you wouldn't. I trust that clarifies the matter.

You wouldn't because there would be no point. The risk from some of those in the younger age group is unlikely to show up in a re-test.

The risk from some of those in the older age group, that is losing their faculties, probably would.

petition wrote:The judge who sentenced the 85-year-old driver who killed my wife said; ‘An elderly driver who knows, or should acknowledge, that he or she is losing his or her faculties is no less a danger than a drunken driver who knows the same.

I agree, that's why I've started this petition calling for people over 70 to undergo compulsory retesting to keep their driving licence

There is nothing illogical in that claim. Any perceived inequity is likely to be the consequence of a misunderstanding of why re-testing is being advocated in this case.

hir wrote:Whilst I have the deepest and utmost sympathy with the bereaved family in this case I do not agree with the sentiments expressed in the petition.

I am not aware of any evidence that drivers over the age of 70 are more of a risk than 20 year old drivers. Indeed all the evidence points to the age group that is most at risk of causing an accident is the 17 to 25 age group. Rather than a petition aimed at the older driver why not start a petition for the compulsory annual retesting of any driver under the age of 25?

This has been, and no doubt continues to be, a terrible tragedy for the family involved. Unfortunately the petition is clearly an understandable but emotional response to what has been an unspeakable and almost unbearable loss on the part of the husband. Regrettably the sentiments expressed in the petition are neither logical nor equitable.

A very sad case for all involved.

My sentiments also.