Should there be an age limit on the Size of car you can drive?

Testing every 3 to 5 years would be overkill and could lead to all sorts of issues.

For instance if someone who needs their car failed the test there could be serious repercussions for work or family until they got to re-sit.

Removing something that is vital to someone's life when they have done nothing wrong would be a big step.

Perhaps some sort of refresher module like the CPC to bring drivers up to date with legislation and safety initiatives could be considered where just taking part would fulfill the obligation.

I know a lot of truckers are cynical about the CPC but if everyone had to do something similar they might not feel singled out.

If someone fails their test, they shouldn’t be driving. There could be very serious repercussions for the people that have to share the road with that driver.

Regular retraining and retesting is a standard approach for maintaining skills in many areas- medicine, legal, financial, pilot- why not driving?

They struggle to provide a service for those taking a test and you think they should massively increase the number of tests every year?

you think a lack of theory is the issue with peoples driving?

I've been banging on for years advocating routine re-testing of drivers, but I recognise that that's utterly impractical as the driver testing system is set up at the moment.

However, possession of a current Driver Theory Test Certificate at time of licence renewal wouldn't be an overly onerous requirement. They're valid for 2 years, which gives plenty of time for acquiring one, and at least it'd make people do a bit of revision on the current ROTR.

Full road test to get your licence back after a ban, irrespective of whether it was applied by the courts or as a result of accumulating enough points !!!

Very black and white in your approach as usual.

What you are really proposing is taking the right to drive from random citizens who have no medical issues, no driving convictions and possibly an accident free driving record for many years.

This is all suggested as a means to make the roads safer with no evidence that it would.

Yes I know that and I mentioned it in my post.

I've had my ears bent by by a good few HGV drivers complaining about them.

Maybe some sort of online module could be developed.

Unless someone is keen to ride a motorcycle straight away, there's a loophole in that system. I've never had a motorbike, have no desire to have one and haven't had my arse on the seat of a one since I passed the test many years ago. Although I've no experience of riding one (apart from 3 lessons on a driving school bike) I would be legally entitled to go out tomorrow and ride a very powerful machine as the years required just ticked by without use..

I don't agree on the age part, (or on the N plate either for that matter). Logically, it's a pass / fail test, and after that it's almost impossible to infer the quality of someone's driving based on age (or 2 yr time limit).

In the first year I after passing my test, I drove 10X the distance my mother did annually. But 90% of that was on quiet motorway where one could argue I didn't learn much about city driving, and the reverse could be said too for someone else. Timeline are just completely arbitrary driver to driver, and IMO seriously devalue the actual test itself, if the passage of time is seen as important too.

As for graduated licenses, I'm all for it, if based on an actual test. Passing you test in a Micra should not automatically qualify you to drive an XC90 for example. The physical size is one thing, but more importantly visibility is limited in a larger vehicle, and the potential to do harm to others is much higher too. This is well known, and is already reflected in insurance premiums, and should be reflected in the testing methodology too.

Now that's something that needs looking at urgently...seriously heavy duty agriculture tractors pulling massive trailers and slurry tanks, etc. with 16/17 year old drivers behind the wheel. This time of year, they are on the roads a lot, and its something else to meet one , especially on a bend on a narrow country road. They can legally do this on the tractor licence class W, at 16 years. This is crazy when you see the rules and regulations involved in getting a car licence.

You don't think that every driver on the road should be capable of passing a test?

they already have.

Some of the biggest "terrors" I meet on the roads, have the "N" plates displayed, and this applies especially to young drivers, and mainly males at that. If more frequent testing was of merit, I think that the Insurance company's would be pushing for it.

The existing driving license's require medical certification before they can be issued,and so do Insurance Company's. Between the ages of 17 and 65+ you are required to notify both the Licensing Authority and your Insurance if you have an existing medical condition ( there are several on the application form) or if you develop any medical condition that would interfere with your ability to drive. And this applies to all Licenses issued, either 1st license or renewal's. So even with a 10 year license, and regardless of age, any deterioration in health which would affect your driving ability, has to be reported.