Should we all Driving Licence holders be re-assessed every 5 years to reduce accidents and bad habits?

Question

Then you could get a reduction in car tax if not taken a re-assesment then car tax would increse to double normal cost , good idea or not.

to add and thanks (405), i drive everyday on motorways etc, and to say that nobody has said that you can book a lesson with a advanced driving instructure for £10 to £15, if road tax was set to half what it is now then £10 to £15 is a piddling amount to pay for increased consentration how to deal with bends, speed can be carried though a bend if approached right how many times have you seen someone brake right on the bend??? bad driver, apply pressure evenly though the bend, just like you were told all those years ago, driving on the roads is getting busyier each day and if you dont improve then you dont get there, i have driven between 3000 and 4000 miles in a six day week every week, and have hardly ever been held up because of planning and driving standards i incorporate into my driving, its my job

Answer 1

That sounds like a very good idea to me, and I also think that it could also affect your insurance costs as well.

Answer 2

Some form of ongoing training / assessment would undoubtedly improve the standard of driving. Thing is, as is being demonstrated by other answers here, nobody would be willing to pay for it. Most people think a driving licence is something to be obtained as quickly & cheaply as possible, & once the test is passed, that's it! Forever!
I'll bet my favourite teddy that no-one here has invested a single penny in any sort of post-test training. ( An hours lesson on a M-way doesn't count!)
The problem with further training, apart from the cost, is that there is no professional body who would train 'real world' driving skills. i.e. advanced observation skills, defensive driving etc. without nagging you about doing a few mph over the speed limit, or not shuffling the wheel through your hands like a learner. These things aren't important, watching where you're going & paying attention to what the other idiots on the road are!

Answer 3

Yes I am on the road every day. I am female and i am embarressed 2 say 70% of women drivers are incompetant. But I do feel sorry 4 some of them as I know how awful it is to have a nagging male passenger sat beside me. Most women just take their kids 2 school and go to the supermarket. they are forgiveable. In the last couple of years I have noticed regular women drivers becoming more aggressive and competitive. There are so many drivers (both sexes) that have bad habits so I agree we should be re-assesed every 5 years. By the way I am not perfect but I believe I am a fairly competant and safe driver. My father was a long distance lorry driver, his advice to me was; Always stick to the rules, especially on motorways and never become aggressive or too clever. I have an extremley fast car and I now how 2 handle it, fast or slow, and YES I like speed but in the right place at the right time(preferably Europe where I travel twice a year) but in Britain one has to stick to the Motorway speed limits.

Answer 4

I posted a similar Q on here a while ago stating that the standard of driving was not too great in UK and re-assessing might improve things

Of the many answers most seemed to thing it was a great idea and as a motorcyclist I believe that the standard would be greatly improved if you had to prove that you could remember things that you should do as a matter of course every few years

One critisism was that drivers would just do it for the test. To me that isn't entirely fair. I believe that if you practice high standards you inevitably find that these habits become permanant. Just like the practice of our bad driving habits becoming our normal behaviour

Just to add to your idea I also believe that a medical should also be mandatory as well as re-assessment

I also believe that we as drivers should cover the cost of this and that if the standards improved as I am sure they would the cost to us would be returned in the form of reduced insurance cost as there would be less for them to pay out to claims as a result of poor driving, the cost to accident investigation would be drastically reduced therefore police resources would be better spent on other matters

Learning to drive is a costly affair and getting yout first car even costlier and I believe it is a priveledge to be able to drive and not a right and I for one would welcome re-assessment and a medical every 5 years

Now that said I am sure to have stirred up a few emotions here but I do have the right to be safe on the roads and I have that priveledge taken away from me by "some" very bad driving habits. However there are some very good drivers and riders out there so please do not think that everyone is tarred with the same brush

Good luck with you questions and good for you for posting a great one

Answer 5

I hope Gordon's not surfing yahoo answers. I don't agree as a whole, I'm kind of siding with the camel above. I got my HGV in 1994 and I have never driven one since, so yes I think for that I should be re-assessed (but I think there are already things in place for that). Foreign drivers should have too pass a more rigorous British test, they might already have to I don't know. But for regular car and motor bike riders, well I'm not sure. If the cost of reassessment reflected the monstrous taxes then probably, but what about those that failed after picking up an independent driving style over the years. Do you still push and pull the steering, not coast down hills to save on fuel, and never ride your clutch?

Answer 6

You should be careful what you wish for - do you think that is going to be done for free? Another great stealth tax on the motorist.

You don't mention what would happen if you failed that re-assesment, would you will be willing to have your licence taken away and then have to maybe go through lessons and a new test? Who would pay for the teams of extra assesors that would be required?

Answer 7

no as such but a medical and assessment when u reach 45 and every 5 year then after might be a good idea similar to hgv regulations the every 3 year at 55 and yearly at 60 as a lot of accidents are caused by older drivers they mite not be involved but do cause a lot

Answer 8

Even though I don't drive I tottaly agree with you.

Currently You can drive from the age of 17 untill your 70th birthday without getting re- assessed.

This is ludricous considering that a lot can happen to you in this time that can affect your ability to drive.

Answer 9

Not unless you're accident proned. If you keep a clean D.M.V report card, then you should be left alone or get a discounted tag renewal. If you have more than a couple of incidences in a year, then you take mandatory re-assesments or pay the piper!

Answer 10

Not when your younger but when your older I'd agree from 65 onwards. Look how many pensioners cause accidents and just drive on like nothing happened.