LJ wrote:
Some are saying its discriminating against the elderly to make them sit re-tests but I think they should for their own sake, not mention other road users, as they often don't realise they are driving badly. There are plenty of safe and competent eldery drivers but there are also too many unsafe and incompetent drivers.
Careful now, next year that comment may well be illegal (that's when age discrimination becomes unlawful). As you say, there are plenty of competent elderly drivers, and I say there are plenty of youngsters who are unsafe and incompetent. I have nothing against regular "check-rides" (say every two years, as they do in the world of aviation) for all, but I am against blatant ageism.
LJ wrote:
That said, there are also plenty of unsafe and incompetent younger and middle aged drivers so I think retests should be compulsory for everyone, perhaps at 10-15 year intervals - obviously more frequent for the OAP's.
Standard "check-rides" should cover the driving skills, so more frequent retests should not be necessary. However, medical fitness is another matter. Again from aviation, the system should require your doctor to declare that he knows of no medical reason for you not to drive. For the private pilot's license, that's one declaration to accompany your license application that lasts until you're 50 and then regular declarations from your doctor at intervals that reduce with increasing age (IIRC, annual from age 60 onward).
JMHO,