Government, and now the DVLA

[Mups]

Lots of people  condemned the Government for their winter fuel payments last winter,  but now it seems they want to make it difficult for us to stay driving too.

The Government are supposed to considering mandatory eye sight and cognitive testing,  and now
I have heard that they are considering roadside  'Spot checks'  to test drivers eyesight too.

Not only that,  but it seems  DVLA have suggested anyone doing less than 2,000 miles a year,  ought to give up their cars.
They reckon it is not worth the expense of keeping a car on the road.

Surely that is up to us to decide?  I don't think any office bod who doesn't know us from Adam has any right to say what we can or can't afford.
Why on earth should there be a minimum mileage amount now?

 If someone only does short distances, or occasional excursions but  is a capable driver,  and can afford the tax, and insurance etc,  I don't see what it has to do with anyone else,  do you? 

[Michael Rolls]

Totally agree, although I have an uneasy feeling that I will be one of the sufferers,  hence my mobility scooter thread

[JBR]

Mandatory eye-sight and cognitive testing.  Well, I can't quibble with eye-sight testing, and I believe that there has always been a law that anyone driving a vehicle must have good eyesight.  However, cognitive testing is a new one.
How will they test cognition?  An IQ test?  Being able to recall your own name?  I'd like to know more about what they're planning to do about that.

So if one drives less than 2000 miles a year, how the hell is that the business of the government or the DVLA?
To be honest, I can't see how they can legally prevent someone from driving if they don't exceed this magical number of miles.

In my opinion, all of this and a lot more on top is nothing but incapable politicians pulling bright ideas out of their retarded heads.  It's a shame that none of them can deal with the real problems facing this country now and I suspect that as they can't do that they are coming up with anything that crosses their little minds simply to make it appear that they are actually doing something.

[Mups]

Having said all this,  I am not sure whether it is the DVLA behind it or not now?  I may have been wrong but I can't find the article I read about now.

Just  found this bit though:

Drivers who travel less than 2,000 miles per year have been encouraged to consider ditching their driving licence.
Motorists who travel on UK roads for less than 2,000 miles per year should consider giving up their driving licence, according to leading experts.


I can't find the part that said its the DVLA behind it.    So who are these so-called 'Experts'  I wonder?

P.S.
I have just found this Older Drivers Forum,  which may be of interest. 
Seems a lot of information on there for older drivers.

https://olderdriversforum.com/

[GrannyMac]

Our car does less than 2000 miles per year now.  I use it mainly for shopping. We don't take it into the centre as parking is limited, there are lots of bus gates, and catching the tram is easier. We have two free park and rides nearby.  

We drive to our son's a few times a year, its around 100 miles round trip.  But we'll keep the car on the road for as long as possible, for convenience.  

[Michael Rolls]

Exactly! Another set of bloody idiots trying to control us

[klondike]

My car is low mileage too now but the sort of journeys I do take would be completely impractical using public transport and I get a bus go by every 15 minutes.

If you get a weekly shop you won't be wanting to use public transport to get back. In fact as my local supermarkets are so close I often take a bag with me and take routes on walks that go past one on the way home so I'll pick up a bag of stuff each time and only drive there if I do need more than I'm prepared to carry which is maybe once a month. My other car journeys are out of town and those are the completely impractical ones using public transport.

I doubt that this will ever become policy as it would be political suicide. Just like, say, removing bus passes or winter fuel allowance. Oh. Wait....

[Alex]

I do agree with eye sight tests for us older drivers, a reaction time test would be helpful too. But it's  nobody's business how many miles I do 

[klondike]

[Scrumpy]

I guess I will drive to the Co-op just round the corner.. And instead of going for a walk I will drive..  My mate who lives down the road I will now drive to visit...

 I doubt this 2,00 miles driving rule will ever take effect...
I am happy to have roadside eye test.. but that should include all drivers..
IQ test..!!!!... that will take a few idiots off the road... young  and old alike..

Everybody is a bloody expert..

[JBR]

I am trying to work out WHY the government and DVLA are hoping to reduce the number of cars on the road.  Is it perhaps because our roads are becoming even fuller of traffic?  Is one cause perhaps because we need more roads to accommodate the traffic, and that would require spending more?

I have a better solution.  There are apparently many more idiots driving on the roads today.  I have seen them every day when we've been out: speeding well over the speed limit on motorways; speeding on the hard shoulder to overtake heavy traffic, drink-driving and drug-driving, stolen cars being pursued by police and causing damage to innocents and their property.
In my opinion, this points to one real problem and its solution: no real deterrent.  Punishments seem to involve half-hearted measures which do nothing to deter.  Such irresponsible idiots who behave like this and, as I said, it is very common these days, should be punished properly.  Imprisonment rather than warnings and fines.  Fines can be no problem to them as that sort will happily steal money to pay them. 
Yes, of course, we need more prisons and, as I have said elsewhere, prisons should be a real deterrent: six to a cell, allowed out in small groups for an hour a day for exercise, kept under lock and key for the rest of the day, physical punishment for attacking guards, etc, etc, etc.

[Mups]

I am trying to work out WHY the government and DVLA are hoping to reduce the number of cars on the road.  Is it perhaps because our roads are becoming even fuller of traffic?  Is one cause perhaps because we need more roads to accommodate the traffic, and that would require spending more?

I have a better solution.  There are apparently many more idiots driving on the roads today.  I have seen them every day when we've been out: speeding well over the speed limit on motorways; speeding on the hard shoulder to overtake heavy traffic, drink-driving and drug-driving, stolen cars being pursued by police and causing damage to innocents and their property.
In my opinion, this points to one real problem and its solution: no real deterrent.  Punishments seem to involve half-hearted measures which do nothing to deter.  Such irresponsible idiots who behave like this and, as I said, it is very common these days, should be punished properly.  Imprisonment rather than warnings and fines.  Fines can be no problem to them as that sort will happily steal money to pay them. 
Yes, of course, we need more prisons and, as I have said elsewhere, prisons should be a real deterrent: six to a cell, allowed out in small groups for an hour a day for exercise, kept under lock and key for the rest of the day, physical punishment for attacking guards, etc, etc, etc.

 I am not so sure it is the number of cars they want to reduce,  as the number of us oldies!

[Michael Rolls]

Having said all this,  I am not sure whether it is the DVLA behind it or not now?  I may have been wrong but I can't find the article I read about now.

Just  found this bit though:

Drivers who travel less than 2,000 miles per year have been encouraged to consider ditching their driving licence.
Motorists who travel on UK roads for less than 2,000 miles per year should consider giving up their driving licence, according to leading experts.


I can't find the part that said its the DVLA behind it.    So who are these so-called 'Experts'  I wonder?

P.S.
I have just found this Older Drivers Forum,  which may be of interest. 
Seems a lot of information on there for older drivers.

https://olderdriversforum.com/

And if they give up their licence, they won't be able to hire a car should they need to. Bloody idiots

[Ashy]

It's a pity that editors have so many column inches to fill that they publish this sort of thing. It doesn't make any sort of common sense.