Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
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Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Ken Wood on 11/8/2025, 9:14 am

In the UK, drivers aged 70 and over will face changes to their driving licence rules starting in August 2025. These changes will involve stricter assessment requirements, including regular health checks by a GP or certified medical practitioner, and potentially cognitive assessments to test memory and decision-making. The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) will be introducing updated eyesight rules, which will require over-70s to be able to read a standard number plate from 20 meters (with glasses or contacts if needed) and meet updated peripheral vision standards. This may be only the beginning of the government's restrictions before you qualify for your driving licence renewal. If you have had medical problems and they are on record, you may require a full examination from your doctor to complete the paperwork. This, together with another completed eye test form completed by your optician, it gets worse if you have had any incidents (can't call them accidents any more), you may be required to sit an assessment test with an examiner, these forms are very deep in questions and one mistake will be a failure or return to try again, I used to go through all this every year as HGV advanced instructor and teaching in the worlds of logistics, the annoying part of all these rules is, foreign driver on our roads don t have to do this, some dont even have any licence, and cannot read our signs, that is why so many bridge bashers are happening lots our sign are in feet and inches first, foreign drivers get away with literally everything here, but this is our governments system, lots more problems in our future, this is just a few.

Here is one of the links to look at

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Liz Dance on 11/8/2025, 9:59 am, in reply to "Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Again it’s attack OAPS, yes I agree that maybe there are some OAPS who shouldn’t be driving but, at the same time there are also drivers in the lower age group who shouldn’t be in the roads, do we hear anything about these groups being tested, no we don’t.

You have a very valid point amen about Foreign drivers, the standard of their driving is, sometimes, appalling do the police stop these drivers, no they don’t.

I am all for keeping the roads safe but attacking one group is totally out of order.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Malcolm on 11/8/2025, 11:21 am, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

A few years ago, the Police were fed up, after stopping a foreign driver for whatever (traffic violation/unsafe load/dodgy vehicle) they would issue a summons...... foreign drivers knew they got away with it, because they'd be back home, when it came to court.......

The Police pre-booked the courts, so on stopping a foreign driver, he was immediately taken to court, vehicle seized, and fine/ban duly imposed with instant effect!!

It seemed to work, according to the police, there should be more of this instant justice..

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Stan Wears on 11/8/2025, 1:48 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

The minister of
transport says he wants to reduce accidents on the roads. He needs to go down to specsavers and get the hard shoulders back. A policeman who attended my blowout on the A19 said he didn't expect to see 2 people still alive. The minister has not thought about physical ability to drive to include reaction time.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Ken Wood on 11/8/2025, 2:54 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Here are a few bits of information, regarding foreign drivers, when I was in charge of a driver training academy, this was for advanced drivers for Heavy Goods, these students were leaving the Armed Forces returning to civvy Street, my task was teaching, instructing and giving lectures regarding the real world of what is now called logistics, teaching future trainers, transport managers, and most of all HGV drivers, most these students yes could drive but the armed forces vehicles are not the same as civilian vehicles. My training vehicle has 16 gears, sleeper cabin, attached to a fully loaded 45-foot-long (13.5 m) trailer and 13ft2. (4m) height, these vehicles had been on regular runs to Europe, with me teaching drivers how to operate in Europe, road signs, driving hours, and dealing with paperwork, refuelling, breakdowns, and of course, the police, when arriving back into the UK, customs, and our government official at the roadside, checking on vehicle safety, weight of the vehicle, drivers legal requirements, tachograph records, the job is a very complicated system of legal requirements, even be few minute over your driving hours can cost you your job and indeed licence, yet and it is a big yet, foreign drivers get away with all of this, mostly complain can’t understand our language, or rules, yet 90% all can speak perfect English when they are loading or unloading, yes our new system has check points with weighbridges and translators ever mobile courts to fine the driver or even seize the vehicle, but alas these are very rare, and the DVLA has reduced all their staffing so we are all at risk other drivers driving for very long hours and causing accidents (not incidents) 80% of your Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, drivers are al agency drivers and mostly Polish or Romanian, the Government asked me to teach these drivers and my other teaching discipline, is Dangerous Goods, Tankers, and any vehicle carrying , Chemicals or liquids, Petrol etc. and powders. My answer was yes ONLY if they could "Speak, Read, and Write ENGLISH, THEY DECLINED! And that was that. Look at our bridges, see if you can find the signs saying their height, now imagine you are a foreign driver doing 53 miles per hour and you have a few seconds to work it out the height of your trailer and the height of that bridge, too late for many, lots of your ASDA trailers are very high some are 16feet high (4.8m) other may be 15ft3 or (4.6m) Here is a bit of a quiz for you all, if you are going down Bensham Bank towards the Team Valley, you have 3 bridges on Bensham Road, then Lobley Hill Road the first one is not marked at all it is pained Green no marking yet is 16ft, The next bridge is marked yet is 16ft (4.8Mm) the last one the third one is 14ft 9 (4.9m) that is the one that keeps getting bashed, now the rules were all bridges under 16ft 6 inches (5.03m) must be marked, I have spoken to the highways and council get no HELP AT ALL. Hope you enjoyed my few lines.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Stan Wears on 11/8/2025, 9:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Very informative Ken. Thank you.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Mac Hardy on 12/8/2025, 11:36 am, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

I am 85 and still driving, I have my eyesight tested every year as a matter of course, My main concern is drivers of all ages who do not indicate, drive at 20 in a 30 zone, switching lanes without lanes without checking their mirrors and drive like idiots.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Stan Wears on 12/8/2025, 2:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

I could not have put it better Mac! Well said!

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Sheila on 12/8/2025, 3:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Removing the hard shoulder on motorways was irresponsible and terrifying for anyone who suddenly has a problem with the car.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Liz Dance on 12/8/2025, 3:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Mac, you missed out the constant jumping of red lights, it seems to be the accepted thing now.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Malcolm on 12/8/2025, 10:03 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

NOT trying to be funny here, but up here, north of the "Wall", I find the drivers are, generally, beyond curteous....

Often giving way, when they have the right of way, on MANY occasions.....

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Mac Hardy on 13/8/2025, 2:16 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

So true Liz, it’s not he older drivers but drivers who are quite young or in high powered cars. The worst seem to drive Audi’s.

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Ray Forster on 13/8/2025, 4:18 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Steady Mac H, I drive an Audi!!!

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Liz Dance on 13/8/2025, 4:30 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Never mind Ray it’s usually BMW drivers who get blamed, makes a change to hear that Audi drivers are guilty as well!!.,

Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests

Posted by Sheila on 13/8/2025, 5:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Over-70s drivers' Eye tests"

Liz, it reminded me, my daughter used to say it was always a BMW young driver that would never let her in if she was waiting to joined a main road out of Plymouth or Exeter. We used to laugh, but never reminded her, she was driving a BMW.

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[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

Rules! No bad language or derogatory remarks or we will delete. Anyone sharing our content on Face Book must credit 'Hebburn and our Neighbours'.