Requiring drivers to retest when renewing their license

[AviatorTom]

This MyTake is inspired by the question The minimum age to drive should be 21 years old? and its comments.

In order to get a driver's license, a person has to pass a written test and a road test. That is usually done when the person is young, 16 or 18 in many places.

After that, a license is typically good for a fixed number of years, after which the person renews it just by paying a fee.

Over time, people lose some of their driving skills. They become complacent, ignore laws they don't like (ex. stopping at Srop signs), are distracted, and may become dangerous drivers. Physical changes may include poorer eyesight and reaction times that affect their driving skills.

Yet, all they need to do is pay a fee to keep on driving.

Here is a suggestion to make driving safer.

Require a driver to take and pass a test when renewing their license. The written test would be taken online, and you have to pass it before signing up for a road test. The road test would also have to be passed to renew the license.

This process would also have to be followed after a license is suspended, say for having too many moving violations, or if involved in an accident with severe injuries or fatalities.

There are several advantages of requiring the driver to do this to renew (or reestablish) their license.

* Drivers would get to relearn some of the skills they have lost

* Drivers would get to learn recently passed laws they may not be aware of, and remember those they forgot

* Drivers who don't have the physical or mental skills to drive safely would be weeded out

* It would create jobs since more driving testers would be needed

* Overall, it would increase the safety on roads.

Airline pilots have to pass tests every few months, yet airline crashes are very infrequent. Yet car and truck drivers don't have to pass any regular tests, even though crashes are a regular event, thousands happen every day.

There will be people who would fight this, claiming that driving is a right. They are wrong, driving is a privilege ... and you have to earn that privilege.

[purplepoppy]

In the uk we don't have to renew our licences at all. I think once you reach 80 or thereabouts you have to tick a box to say you're not blind but that's about it.

Every now and then there's calls to retest people when they reach a certain age but it's not a popular because people worry they might fail.

I don't like it because you could be off the road for months just because you failed to look in your mirrors as much as the tester wanted. That could mean lots of people simply couldn't get to work each day.

[Anonymous]

Some states do do this when you move to a new state. They make you take the drivers test again even if you have a license from the old state.

[AviatorTom]

That's a good idea.

[WindAtMyBack]

It's pretty well known that people become safer and safer drivers as they get older. That continues well into their elderly years when they become slightly less safe, but are still far safer than young drivers.

So if there is any more testing, it should be for young drivers who can't drive worth a shit. Once the very elderly become too old to drive, they generally stop on their own, or their family gets them to quit.

It's an insignificant problem with a very costly solution.

[BoopBoopBeep]

I think every 4 years may be too much. It would just grind the system to a halt with all the backlogged testing. I could see every ten years or so though.

[AviatorTom]

@BoopBoopBeep Good comment. How often depends on how often the state requires you to renew the license In my state, that's 10 years.

[OlderAndWiser]

Are there any jurisdictions where this is already required? If so, are there measurable results?

[nolabels]

The concept sounds good until one looks at the logistics of doing so.

Huge bureaucratic agencies would be required to implement such a system.

The costs would be much greater than the benefits that would be derived from such a system, in my opinion.

[Mangospacho]

I think it’s a good idea, in theory, but after just spending 45 minutes in the DMV the other day to do something that took only 30 seconds, I would rather not make the wait times even longer at the DMV by having 100 people waiting to take their exams after 30 years of a clean driving history.

[exitseven]

I don't think retests will make any difference. I deal with people who don;t know how to drive on a daily basis. A road test will not change them.

[Whatthefluff]

I disagree. It’s hard enough to book an appointment for a single road test. The RMV has a long-enough wait time. Traffic stops by police is a deterrent for hazardous behavior.

[AngryCarl2]

I couldn't agree more. Elderly drivers are a menace. I don't plan on driving when I'm over 70 but I know I'll be tempted because not having a car sucks. Some people don't get it until they kill someone.

[strateguy632]

only vision test no driving nor law.

[AviatorTom]

In my state, you can renew by mail... no vision test required. Just pay the fee.

[msc545]

Any demolition in skills is offset by the increase in vigilance and familiarity as a function of years and years of driving. What you are suggesting will cost a lot of money and will accomplish virtually nothing.

[Dargil]

I would support it at 70-ish.

[Christoff92]

Wouldn't be surprising