ranathari

Yes and no.

If we had a first driving test that was more akin to Finland's, which is ball-bustingly hard according to my Finnish girlfriend, then retesting would be less important because you would have weeded out a good chunk of bad drivers in the first place.

With the lower standards of the UK test, which are still fairly high compared to other parts of the world, re-testing every 5 years wouldn't hurt. No direct charge for the test, just fund it via an increase in some non-regressive tax (so not road tax, probably income tax instead).

Driving and riding are privileges, not rights. As part of the privilege, you should commit to keeping your standards up and be willing to allow them to be assessed. Would you refuse to let doctors be revalidated for clinical competency on the grounds that it's a financial burden on them as well as threatening their livelihoods? Driving's not much different.

Of course, this would only work if you had a decent public transport network to accommodate those who lose the right to drive. Fine if you live in London or another big city, difficult if you live out in the sticks.