This Is Guernsey reports that elderly drivers don’t think they should be retested. And that comes from an Age Concern group. The entire premise is based on the comment:
Many spoken to felt they were very capable of driving and would be housebound if they did not have a licence.
Well, that’s all right then, isn’t it?
This Is Guernsey must have an absolutely tiny circulation, and yet requires a subscription in order to read stories in full. At nearly £2 per copy it is horrendously overpriced. So we’ll just have to go with the above quote as being the sum total of the story. After all, apart from a load more old people saying it’s “unfair” and “discriminatory”, it’s hard to imagine anything that gives the claim any greater substance.
It’s a simple fact that a driving licence isn’t something you get free when you reach 65 along with a bus pass and pension. It’s something that should be taken away at the first signs of health issues likely to impair driving ability, and any form of dementia should immediately be notifiable with mandatory surrendering of the licence. And while we’re on the subject, similar checks should be carried out before anyone is allowed to ride a mobility scooter. If you’re unfit to hold a driving licence there’s almost no way you’re going to be fit to ride one of those things.
I mention mobility scooters because I was out on a lesson last night and this old guy was riding one of them in the road. My pupil asked if they were allowed to do that, and I explained the law (or lack of), and how these scooter riders are often not even aware of what they should and shouldn’t do. Even if they are, they simply don’t care (being old gives you special rights, doesn’t it?) What made this case especially noteworthy was the fact that this particular comedian was carrying a heavy 8 foot metal post with large square platforms either end. If it had fallen on a child (or anyone, come to that) it could easily have killed them, and if it had fallen into the road it could have caused a nasty accident with a lot of damage. His ability to control the scooter was obviously massively impaired as he had it balanced upright between his legs. Anyone doing that with a car or motorcycle would have been on Road Wars in 10 seconds flat, with 3 shiny new points on their licence.
It’s frightening to think that this clown could still have had a drivers licence and a car for all anyone knew.