Renewing Licence at 70

[nogoodnamesleft]

One aspect to bans I feel needs changing is the way some who can afford wealthy lawyers or dream up ever dafter excuses get away without bans.

I think the French VSP system might work well in the UK as most "excuses" people use to avoid a ban would become irrelevant as they can just switch to a driving a VSP. Reality is most such drivery would never allow themselves be seen driving a VSP so they'd be employing chauffeurs, etc.

Adopting the scheme would make courts far less pressured and far less ready to accept reasons why somebody shouldn't be banned.

nb For those not aware of the French VSP (voiture sans permis) system, they are a class of vehicle you can drive without a license (though you do still need insurance which after a ban is expensive). They are small and low powered and look small and low powered

Can you see some Premier Division footballer switching from his top end Ferrari to one of the above or some petrol head ...

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Anyone who collects twelve points in three years has no right to claim "Special circumstances" as a reason for not getting a ban. But a good reason for being declared too stupid to hold a driving licence.

Yup

But it is terrible because it will mean I cannot take my

select one of "old grandparent" special needs child" "disabled relative" "bags of money"

to the

select one of "doctor" "carehome" "school" "bank"

and I had no idea this was going to happen and need help working out how to avoid it happening again


Try driving to the speed limit?????
just a thought

 

[oxoman]

Yup

But it is terrible because it will mean I cannot take my

select one of "old grandparent" special needs child" "disabled relative" "bags of money"

to the

select one of "doctor" "carehome" "school" "bank"

and I had no idea this was going to happen and need help working out how to avoid it happening again


Try driving to the speed limit?????
just a thought

The answer to all the above should be tough, you made your choice so you have to live with the consequences.

 

[Drago]

you made your choice so you have to live with the consequences.

Just like any of their victims would have to.

 

[BoldonLad]

One small point about a ban, or, indeed the small inconvenience of actually having a licence to begin with, it needs to be ENFORCED,

 

[CXRAndy]

Impossible.

Around 800,000 L tests are conducted each year and the average waiting time is around six months. The UK has 42 million full licence holders, a retest every five years would mean another 8.2 million tests being conducted, ten times the number now. There are nowhere near the number of examiners, test centres and booking staff to cope with that and there probably never could be.

On top of that, as an ex ADI I don't think retesting would have any effect on driving standards at all. How people behave on test conditions and then in the real world are completely different.

You would be required to pay for retest. This would fund the whole process, employing more staff, centres for assessment.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

You would be required to pay for retest. This would fund the whole process, employing more staff, centres for assessment.

They can't recruit enough examiners now, let alone take on and train (And it is a difficult course to get through) ten times as many. They have been cutting the number of test centres in recent decades because of the sky high cost of buying and leasing the land and the buildings.

And like I said, it would make bugger all difference. I have more than enough experience of training drivers to know that Arrogant Alf, who has good car control skills will behave himself on the test day and then write his car off in the first few months. The drivers who lose out will be those who suffer test nerves but are otherwise safe drivers.

Loads of extra expense and bureaucracy for nothing.

 

[Chislenko]

Folks, I started a thread to compliment some good work.

If you want to debate the rights and wrongs of who should be driving start a separate thread.

Totally devalues my original sentiment.

 

[Drago]

Thats why its called a discussion and not an affirmation.

 

[Chislenko]

Thats why its called a discussion and not an affirmation.

But nobody is discussing the original point hence the discussion about who should and shouldn't be driving should be taken elsewhere.

 

[Drago]

Thats because the discussion has progressed.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thats because the discussion has progressed.

No longer stuck in traffic

 

[Dadam]

Folks, I started a thread to compliment some good work.

If you want to debate the rights and wrongs of who should be driving start a separate thread.

Totally devalues my original sentiment.

Welcome to the internet!

Anyway I'm a petrolhead and I think that VSP up there is cute! It would make me chuckle every time I got in to drive it.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Mod Note:
@Chislenko sorry I had to change your title again, the new title didn't make sense.
While the mods agree in general that if a thread goes too far OT a new thread should be opened, the statement "renewing license at 70" could be interpreted in several ways.
I for one, before reading the thread, thought it was about the rights or wrongs of elderly people getting their driving license renewed.
I see now it was in praise of the easiness of the process.

 

[DRM]

Welcome to the internet!

Anyway I'm a petrolhead and I think that VSP up there is cute! It would make me chuckle every time I got in to drive it.

I bet it wouldn't, they sound like a wasp in a jam jar, & my elderly Tdi Discovery, at 165,000 miles Towing a 20 foot caravan, easily pulled away from one at a set off French traffic lights without trying, iirc they do 45 Km/h tops