Routine licence re-testing - would you support it?

Call me black and white, but the OP's question was pretty basic...

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

If the government were to introduce regular re-testing to keep your driving licence (car/bike etc) would you support it

...and most of the responses in this thread have added all sorts of arms and legs, with objections based upon their own preconceptions about what the test would potentially involve.

[yorkie_chris]

If the government (this one) were to introduce regular re-testing (which wouldn't test what matters, would cost a fortune) to keep your driving licence (which people would forget) would you support it.

Hell no.


People here keep mixing in common sense, that just won't do. You know full well government would simply use it as an excuse to f*ckin fleece you every time you were 14 seconds late booking your annual test and charging you a million pounds by automated camera if (when!) those sheep shagging tossers in Swansea forget you've done your retest... While Jimmy O'Flannagan Pikeybollox McNicksalot is rattling around in his uninsured deathtrap with no license at all but all the plod are too busy nicking generally law abiding people to bother with him...

So NO!

Originally Posted by Triv650

I don't know about every 5 years, perhaps every decade since passing but once you hit 65 every 5 years. I've seen too many grannys peering over the steering wheel that just about miss me, something needs to be done to get them off the road if they can't drive.

i agree with this, its rare to see one that looks like shes even awake nevermind being able to drive a car

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

While Jimmy O'Flannagan Pikeybollox McNicksalot is rattling around in his uninsured deathtrap with no license at all but all the plod are too busy nicking generally law abiding people to bother with him...

How is Jimmy? Haven't seen him for a few months.

I think it sounds like a sensible idea in theory, and in some form or other might be worth a go. In reality I suspect it would be exactly as mentioned by YC above.

naff idea, and i dont jump through any hoops as a HGV driver..

I said no. Only for a few reasons;
1) it wouldn't be subsidised and the government would rip us off.

2) if it was like a test like what advanced driver/rider courses do then that would be better than another full test. Just to make sure you are safe. If you sent then you have more lessons till you are safe enough.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

If the government (this one) were to introduce regular re-testing (which wouldn't test what matters, would cost a fortune) to keep your driving licence (which people would forget) would you support it.

Hell no.


People here keep mixing in common sense, that just won't do. You know full well government would simply use it as an excuse to f*ckin fleece you every time you were 14 seconds late booking your annual test and charging you a million pounds by automated camera if (when!) those sheep shagging tossers in Swansea forget you've done your retest... While Jimmy O'Flannagan Pikeybollox McNicksalot is rattling around in his uninsured deathtrap with no license at all but all the plod are too busy nicking generally law abiding people to bother with him...

So NO!

Oh they nick him, crush his car, but he spends his child tax credit on another sh*theap with steel brake pads and 3-times re-treads, to drive him back from the pub.

As was said early on in the thread, all this would serve to do is increase the number of unlicenced, uninsured drivers on the road so, No.

Originally Posted by thulfi

Would you want an accomplished 20yr old Doctor with years of experience to re-sit his med school finals every so how many years?

This is a bad analogy for several reasons. Firstly it's not possible to be a doctor at the age of 20 - you have to be 18 minimum (17 years and some months) to enroll on an MBBS/MBchB and it's 5 years long.

The more pertinent one is that we now have to be revalidated every few years to demonstrate that our clinical knowledge and skills reach a minimum standard before we're allowed to keep practicing. They're still consulting over the details of it but it's looking like there will be a practical assessment, which basically amounts to a re-test. So, yes, it has been decided that doctors with years of experience will need to be retested on a regular basis.

It's also a bad analogy because there's dreadful doctors out there with years of experience at being bad doctors who've gotten away with it.

[yorkie_chris]

I'd say it's a cracking analogy then as there's lots of bad drivers with years of experience who've gotten away with it