Ah right ok thanks. I really need to stop skimming and read things properly
Agreed, but I just donāt fancy it. I reckon a practical re-test but hopefully not the theory 
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The theory test might be more important, I suspect. People forget what was in the Highway Code after the test, and it changes periodically.
Rule 170 is quite important, but little known, it seems (give way to pedestrians at junctions). Also, there were no smart motorways ten years ago.
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Itās not so much about experience but health conditions would also need to be taken into consideration.
Eg. Vision, reaction times, confidence etc etc. These are things that are part of the test now and naturally get worse over time effecting some more than others.
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Itās not about the hours you clock in, itās about how quickly you can pick it up. When it comes to the practical test itās mostly on how well you drive and a little bit to do with your instructor in terms of can they put your nerves at ease. I do understand that the driving test has changed from when I did mine. Good strategic move is book the test somewhere more suburb, less city centre as there will be less cars and minimise majors.
I wouldnāt have thought they would be deteriorating enough to make a difference when yourāre 27, 37 or 47 in most people. It would be interesting to see some stats.
I could maybe agree on some sort of theory retest every now & then, just to make sure everyone is up to date on all the rules.
In my (professional) opinion, most people on the road couldnāt pass a test if they took one tomorrow. To me, that means their driving isnāt up to standard ā āstandardā being the level required to pass a test.
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Most people that pass the test donāt really follow the test driving standard, even the police!
I agree, which is why I feel a revision every ten years would generally lift the standard of driving overall.
But people can just put their hands in the correct place on the steering wheel for an hour, pass the test then go back to driving like maniacs for the next 10 years. Iām not sure it would make a whole lot of difference.
Are people who have just passed their test the best drivers on the road, in your professional opinion?
No. I agree that driving gets better with experience. Thatās why new drivers pay more for insurance, and probationers with months of experience probably drive better than recently-passed licence holders after ten lessons. But the improvement doesnāt just keep going up. I would say a forty year old has acquired enough bad habits that wonāt ever be corrected again to make the standard of their driving decrease.
A test would expose these in almost everyone except the very āleast worstā drivers, who Iād say would be driving at a reasonable level anyway to be able to pass the exam.
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Now thereās a challenge. I turned 40 a few weeks ago!
In my head Iām a better driver than Iāve ever been, but would be interesting to put it to the test!
Is looking angrily at anyone who doesnāt indicate at a roundabout part of the test these days? If so I reckon Iād smash it
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Yes, people who chose to drive like maniacs will, and newly qualified driver is more likely than most to be in an accident.
But there are other categories of driver who would benefit from re-testing. There arse elderly drivers round where I live who drive shockingly and would be unlikely to pass a re-test.
Anyone whoās been driving long enough to be past their initial new-driver inexperience phase would probably admit to having picked up a few bad habits. Mandatory re-testing would definitely improve driving standardsā¦ its just a question of how much / can you enforce it upon people who think theyāve got a license to drive for life.
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Yeah, I said above though Iād agree with retesting once you got to a certain age. I just think every 10 years from the age of 17 would be a bit of overkill.
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Itās not just elderly. There are plenty of drivers of all age who would benefit from a regular refresh (myself included) as Iām certain that Iāve picked up some bad habits.
Then for example, there are some people canāt parallel park to save their life. I see them mounting the kerb, bumping into other cars and posts which is crazy. They either werenāt tested on this or fluked it just once in order to pass and now they have a licence for life?
Overall I think itās about keeping a certain standard which should help improve safety overall.
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Your licence now expires every ten years, so make sending off proof of passing the retest part of renewal.
Make reissue free, and charge for the test, administered through the exam centre. Let people decide if and how much they want refresher lessons before the test.
The flip side to not buying some refresher lessons is the chance your licence is rescinded on a fail.
Safety wins. Exchequer wins. Small business and driving schools win.
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Itās the photograph which expires, and the last time I renewed they just used my passport photo, if I recall correctly.
But yes, sending evidence of passing at least a theory test every ten years would be a reasonable idea.
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Yes, the DVLA now links through to your currently stored passport photo and applies it to the renewed licence. Iāve just renewed mine (already 10 years old this one!), the renewal process was simple.
Glad to see the back of filling out paper forms, getting it confirmed by someone in authority, posting & waiting.
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Yes, sorry, I meant the physical licence expires. Of course your license to drive doesnāt.
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As far as Iām concerned, even a theory test is too much. Just one multiple choice question.
The question is āwhat is the middle lane of a three lane motorway for?ā
That would stop seemingly 50% of drivers renewing their licence on the spot.
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