every 10 years while you are under 60, then one every 3-5 years after that
I just wish we had functional public transport.
The mistake is applying it only to older people. We’re so used to expecting facilities to decline and not pay attention to seniors limiting themselves but most importantly ignoring the injuries and deaths caused by poor drivers of all ages.
Post-Covid traffic was a real eye opener as so many people seem to have forgotten how to drive. It appears to be back to normal finally but as a frequent pedestrian, I am endangered almost every turn, despite staying on sidewalks and crosswalks and using crossing signals, and living in a place where drivers are better than most and there are few stroads. There’s always someone blowing through a light or ignoring the crossing signal or “stretching” the red, or blasting through a right in red (despite the law saying “after a complete stop”) or driving through the crosswalk, and pedestrians are in danger every time.
Drivers suck. Test them all. Fail those whose bad habits endanger other road users, and make them take remedial driver training.
The real answer is a LOT more good, efficient, and affordable public transit options.
I fully agree but I think we actually do need to take the independence of seniors seriously too. No they shouldn’t be driving but for many there are no good or affordable alternatives. I don’t like the idea of nana and pawpaw rotting away at home waiting for visitors when they had a normal social life. If this is implemented free or low cost public transportation or shuttles should be provided for anyone over say 65.
Yeah this is a good idea. I think I can trust my kids to tell me when I get dangerous driving, they did tell both their grandmas.
Not sure why we don’t, maybe cost? I took my driver’s test 40 years ago, any other license you hold that long requires continuing education.
The problem is that by the time I’m old enough to be a problem by the wheel, I’m more than likely going to be driving alone 100% of the time. I have my kids in the car sometimes now, but they’ll be out of the house and it’ll be just me being a menace to society.
I upvoted because this IS an unpopular opinion (outside of this bubble)
I agree with the premise but can guarantee I would hate the outcome
With how many psychopaths have licenses - why do we think an even more bloated system is really gonna “catch em all”
…
But not to argue - please carry on
Are you really saying that since so many bad drivers currently have licenses, we shouldn’t even try?
I’ve been saying the same for years. The thing here is that when you put people through re-education, knowledge tends to stick. And other good things can be warned as well. More attention towards cyclists, pedestrians, etc.
At first people say they don’t care, then it gets into their subconscious.
At work I need to take monthly training on computer security and ethics. It’s all basic stuff I’ve heard many times. There’s nothing unique about it. But there are studies verifying that the regular reminders make a huge difference.
Even if all we do is periodic reminders of good habits, even if people already “know”, it does help
This is not unpopular. But guess what demographic consistently votes? That’s right, older people. They’re not going to give themselves less freedom and independence…
There is that, but I’d also argue quite a lot of people would be against this proposal because they don’t want a drivers licence really; they just don’t live in a walkable area but want to get to work and be able to shop and the licence and owning a car is just a means to an end. If you’re a competent driver, having to retake the test would be a pain in the ass and your reward effectively is “You may continue to exist in society.”
Getting the letter that you’re due for a test would be more frustrating than a jury duty summons; jury duty pays.
The elderly resent the prospect of losing their licence for exactly that reason; it puts them at the mercy of family and expensive taxis to be able to feed themselves.
In a sane world, yes we’d all recognise driving can be dangerous and tests are sensible, but in that world you wouldn’t need a car to do basic shit either.
At least teach people the new rules.
In france bicycles are allowed to go the wrong way in 30-Zones. For example.
Yay for repression, outpricing the lower middle class and medical discrimination.
Great idea. The modern system in the EU is expensive and discriminative (especially towards elders and disabled people).
Sometimes when I’m driving home I pretend I’m doing a driving exam and see how far I can get before I fail, and I always seem to fail. My muscle memory for all the discouraged minutae is so strong.
How do you know you failed?
In my country, there are a few things that are instant fail, eg exceeding the speed limit by more than 1km/h, that one usually gets me. Picking up your Mobile phone is an instant fail. Other faults are worth 1 point each, and 6 points is a fail. Things that earn a point are:
- not signalling for 30m or more before turning/changing lanes
- crossing your arms while steering round a corner
- letting the steering wheel slide through your hands while it comes back to centre
- not having both hands on the wheel while steering or otherwise moving forward normally
I add up the points when I notice, and usually end up failing.
I haven’t gotten a speeding ticket or traffic fine in more than 9 years though, so my self-monitoring does work well.
Not controversial at all. In fact this is already introduced in the EU
Where?
I think you’re making an assumption that isn’t true:
https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/overview/age-of-driver/
I’d assume older people drive less (but I might be wrong), so I’d be curious to see accidents per 100000 kilometers driven broken down by age
I’d be interested in seeing a percentage based graph taking into account the number of drivers per age group. I would expect there to be fewer drivers in the last two groups, concurrent with an increased percentage of accident drivers.
Eh. I’d rather have real driver training required before a license is issued. Some countries do.
In the US, my driver’s education consisted of driving in a car with an instructor and two other students in the back (or being in the back while someone else drove). We were required to drive five mph under the speed limit at all times.
So really, I learned how to drive when I got my license.
I’m 51. I was hit two times in my early 20s, but I’ve not been involved in an accident since (and so never has been my fault). But it’s not because of the driver’s ed.
Also, I’d love for science to look at what ages (or medical conditions) affect poeples’ ability to drive and start testing based on those things. If that means taking tests now? Sure, fine, let’s do it - I know I’m still fine.
But it’s also hardly an age thing… lots of people just don’t care to learn how to actually drive defensively. :|
In my state, my kids were required to have basic knowledge of controlling the car before drivers Ed, not be allowed with the instructor until passing a written test, keep a log tracking sufficient experience, and satisfy the instructor (little bit of conflict of interest paying more hours). Road test with the state was not allowed until they were endorsed by a driving school.
(Then they ruin all that by saying 18 year olds are adults who are responsible for themselves and can just show up for the road test)
In Texas in 1993, they were transitioning between… I don’t remember what exactly anymore. But the end result was all drivers who got licenses that summer didn’t have to take a road test or anything with DPS - once driver’s ed said we were ready, we got our licenses. lol
I do remember taking some sort of written test - maybe even at DPS… I don’t remember where it was anymore. heh. That’s been a while now.
I feel like this is one of those things that I can agree to on paper but I can’t support because I feel like it would disproportionately impact those that are already struggling to get by.
I’m surprised to hear that. If someone can pay insurance, parking, fuel, road tax, maintenance, EU checks for a car surely they can pay for a (potentially subsidized) re-certification once in 10 years?
I’m referring to the US because it’s where I’m familiar: Parking isn’t typically a cost outside of cities. Road tax is included in fuel. I’ve never had to get a car safety inspected, I’m sure it’s a thing in some places
Anyway, it’s not just the associated costs but also another generally pointless reason for everyone to have to visit an already over busy DMV and waste hours at best to show they can do something they are likely doing every day? It’s a lot easier for someone like me to go to the DMV and deal with the BS than it is someone who is working multiple jobs, has to actually clock in, and is otherwise hovered over. It’s easy for me to say how easy it is when I’m not struggling through the shit trying to make ends meet. Then what’s the solution, if the DMV decides, nah you can’t drive, does the state start paying their bills or assign them a chauffeur service so they can get where they need to in order to survive?
Also how do you judge a test? Like hey I’ve driven over 140 mph just fine, drifted in the rain, drop shifted to save myself out of an accident. How is checking to see if someone can tap the gas or brake pedal make me feel less like I’m trying to avoid collisions? It’s like wow you can use turn signals… good, you know where the brake pedal is… good, oh you forgot where the gas pedal was since you were watching tictock dance videos. Now add in all the new features like a corolla being able to drive you around with no input.
It’s for public safety, so there definitely shouldn’t be fees. It should be covered with taxes.
That would mean a drivers license should be covered by taxes because that is also for public safety. Yeah no I don’t agree
Yet driving is a privilege not a right so there are already fees on every exam you take, at least where I come from.
Personally I’m of the opinion that there’s no need to retest healthy working-age adults unless they have traffic violations… But traffic violations should trigger retesting more easily. Right now you gotta fuck up real bad to have your license taken away (after which you can get it back after a while if you pass tests again).
And once you’re in your 60s or 70s, we should start retesting and it should be mandatory. We do have mandatory health exams that go from 10 years to 5 years when you age, but they mostly test the sharpness of your vision and such. They don’t test how you actually react to things in traffic, or how good your peripheral vision is. There’s other stuff they test too, but I’ve forgotten it, been a few years since my last one.
that sounds an awful lot like communism /s
wut, no, unless ur tests are litarally held in a commune, dumass!
;-)
I just want to not have to drive
