I know I know, I shouldnt watch A Current Affair but it was on while we were eating dinner.


There was a segment on about seniors 65 and over and their driving abilities and there is a push for seniors to display 'S' plates just like 'p' platers have to do.

What are your thoughts on this?

Just asked the same thing....will delete my thread

I think it would be a far better use of tax payer money to simply have compulsory testing and take peoples licenses away when they are no longer safe.

I think you get what you deserve when you watch trash like that! Oh and if they want an S plate for seniors then I would like to see Holden driving 18-30 year olds with H plates for "Hoon", V plates for Volvo drivers "Overly cautious and liable to drive at 60km an hour in 80 zones" and T for girls under 30 as they are liable to be "Texting" while driving!

I remember 10 years ago doing a project on this same topic!! My views were that they should display S plates!! How awesome that the same subject is still doing the rounds!!

I don't really agree with it now though.. L plates, P plates, S plates, next there will be G plates for people who wear glasses, M plates for those who listen to loud music, it will never stop really!

Don't think it will happen and can't really see how it will help. There needs to be stricter guidelines for getting permits for the elderly and people with some chronic diseases.

Compulsory testing yes!
Across the board labelling of everyone over 65 is a VERY big NO.

With the ridiculous amount they charge just to renew your license, maybe they should make everyone re-sit the learner knowledge test at the same time.

It has always amazed me that in order to drive a vehicle, we take a test at 16, 17, 18 (depending on your era/state) and it's a done deal.

I recently had to renew my VIC license and all I had to do was make a BPay payment for another 5 years of driving. No eye tests, no nothing.

I don't know about S plates, but I do think that retesting should take place regularly, not just for seniors (including a written test as it seems that people have no clue about the actual road rules, they just make them up as they go along).

No doubt people will disagree, but seriously, cars are weapons in the wrong hands.

I'd love to see 'T' plates for all those losers texting and driving......and there are thousands of them every day!

I'd like to see mandatory retesting brought in but I don't see how S plates would help.

I don't think so. Testing yes but s plates no.

L & p plates aren't aged based but experienced based. Either you are fit to drive or not.

Every single accident they had in their story could not have been prevented by displaying an S plate.

Love it.



I agree. Licence testing needs to be more frequently even if its every 10 years you need to resit a test and do a practical driving evaluation then so be it.

Seniors perhaps should be retested every 2- 5 years until 70 then every year after they must have someone go out with them to ensure they are still safe to be on the road.

I guess its like saying all p - platers are hoons, you cant lump them all in the one box. Some young people shouldnt have a licence and some senior people shouldnt have a licence either.

I agree with compulsory testing, that's all.

However I would make an exception for F plates for Frangipani-wearing-cars, lol!

Another that thinks everyone should be tested every 10 or so years. It might get some of the idiots of all ages off the roads.

I wish they had "T" ones for tourists.

Im terrible at following my sat nav. Following a map? Forget it.

When im on holidays and I dont know the area I feel like putting up a sign saying "sorry everyone im a tourist I dont know where I am going!"

I drive slow and then I indicate to turn and then realise I am meant to turn at the next turn so I turn my indicators off and then turn them back on and turn and the next street. Must be very frustrating being stuck behind a lost person!

Ha love it!

I actually agree in some ways with the original proposition but 65 would be way too young. Everyone I know between 65 and 75 is actually a really good driver. I think maybe for over 75s or 80s it could be a good idea as perhaps it would make people a little more patient in the same way that L plates do?

I don't like the idea of it but there is certainly a point when some elder drivers should stop. I understand the enormous loss of independence that comes with that but for their safety and the safety of other road users, it's a wise choice.

I have lost count of the number of times I have noticed some old people who barely have any mobility left get into a car and drive away. I fear that their strength, reflexes and immobility is putting us all at risk.

I am definitely all for it. I am from an area with a high population of elderly people. The younger of them behind the wheel are okay but I found that older they get the more dangerous they are. We were stuck today behind one old dear doing 30-40 in a 50 zone with a bank up of vehicles including us, then there are the types that love straddling two lanes (see that on a almost daily occurance), the ones that just cannot park no matter how hard they try, pulling out absolutely oblivious to all traffic around them.

Also you have to take into consideration about medication. The older the person is the more likely they will be on meds that can impair driving.

Also having a great big S on the car is not going to stop these problems. With the S there should be restrictions like not driving at night, regular driving tests, review of meds taken, medical tests etc Plus mandatory immediate removal of licenses when they don't comply.

It is all very well that Seniors require independence but the rest of the people on the road need to be safe.

So how is the S going to ensure this happens? It could just be a license condition. Nothing that needs to be advertised on their car. Having an S is not going to stop them driving slowly, nor in the middle of two lanes.

But this isnt just older people - anyway some people with very limited mobility are still perfectly safe drivers - I know some young people who are paraplegics or have spina bifida and they drive perfectly safely (albeit with modified hand control cars)


No I dont think seniors should have to display S plates or have restrictions on their licence just because they reach a certain age - in SA over 70's have to get a medical clearance every year and so do certain groups of younger people such as diabetics or people on blood pressure medications. Some people do get conditional medical clearances already - eg not to drive ar night or more than 10 km from home.

I think that is enough.

I think EVERYONE should resit their licence with a practical and theory test every 10 years.

No to the plates, but a big fat yes to retesting more regularly and even more regularly as you hit 65 and over.

Where I live, you don't need S plates to know you're following an elderly driver. Just look for the hat on the parcel shelf and the one doing 50km in a 100km zone

I agree.

I don't agree with labeling senior drivers though. I actually think that would make them / their vehicles easy targets for the delinquents out there.

I think if you can't drive then you shouldn't be on the road, simple as that, no need for "S" plates, just take away their licence.

And before someone carries on about their loss of independence I'm sorry but peoples lives are more important.

Yep to retesting across the board every ten years. I think it would make me a better driver not to mention a reminder to everyone about the actual road rules.

I agree with this, if for no other reason than to make sure we're all on the same page, IYKWIM? The rules change, they evolve, and that's fine, but how are we to know? I discovered heaps of new little things when DH was going through the process a few years ago.

Fixed that for you, Chelli...

Yeah but it's not like you go from being able to drive, to not being able, overnight.

For people over 75, at least in NSW, you have to take a health test every year, which includes a blood pressure and vision test. My dad, at 79, just passed his, but only just. He knows all the road rules, but his response times and ability to deal with unexpected events are nowhere near what they should be.

He's fine driving around his home town which has barely any traffic, and in that environment it's fine for him to still be driving. But as soon as he goes on an interstate trip, with traffic lights and lane changes, he is a danger. I was driving with him just last weekend and he got beeped at a few times. I think some S plates would encourage people to give him a wider berth and be a bit more forgiving, much like the function of L plates.

Im sorry but in my opinon if he is getting beeped at then he must be doing something wrong and should no longer be on the roads. It does not matter if its just driving down the road or driving locally I do not understand that concept at all.

These elderly people become isolated after loosing their licence because they dont make the necessary changes to their life. Why not move from your family home to a town or village etc where you have walking access to get the paper and a few basic esentials. Where its only a small taxi fare to the doctors or hospital. Where their are other seniors to socialise with and organised outings, public transport etc. Instead of staying in your previous home and complaining because you need to drive to get places. I live outside a rural town now and their is no way I will still be here come retirement age. Thats when you will find me living in an apartment within short walking distance of shops and other amenities.

I remember a program bringing this up years ago and one view was that it would show perspective intruders where the seniors live (even could be followed home) making them an easier target.

Greenbag, I puffy heart you, as you know, but I personally think you're on a bit of a rose-tinted glasses on this one.

If your father's response times aren't up to scratch then he's a danger on the roads to himself and others.

I thought the bowls hat on the back dash was a big enough hint

I don't like it. I think it would cause unnecessary discrimination. Ls & Ps have their place because it clearly identifies newbies.

There is such a fine line between maintaining independence and being unsafe. The consequences of being unsafe can be fatal (for the older adult and public) but losing their independence can also be fatal (depression - death or increased medication - falls - death) its just its only one person, which sadly, is the right thing to do because killing someone else would be horrific for all families. I have no answer. I don't think there is a simple answer. Its easy to say take away their licence but to do that and maintain their independence, there needs to be the proper support structure in place to help them. I don't think many places have that. They are still dependent on someone/something else.

No, I agree that he shouldn't be on the road on the city. But he just passed his license test- the RTA thinks he's fine to drive. Its nuts- whichis why people saying that regular testing will fix it are wrong.

That's my point, technically, he can drive, and in his home town of 3000 people and no traffic or multiple lanes, he's fine. But his license covers him driving to the city, so he does. Taking his license away is an option, but to do that you'd have to make stricter requirements for everyone, which may or may not be necessary.

What I'm saying is that if he wears S plates, both he and the other drivers around him are able to acknowledge that while he still has a license, he could do with a wider berth and some allowances, much like and L plater.

Old people still have self-determination. You can't just 'move them' to an area with greater conveniences or tell them to stop driving if they don't want to.

Better than doing 100 km in a 50 km zone ? The elderly at least aren't doing that.

Another option would be to make the driving tests more comprehensive to as to test reaction times and defensive driving skills. As it is, plenty of seniors are passing the eye and health tests but are still a risk to others.

Not really, both can be just as dangerous as each other.

My town has a massive population of elderly drivers, due to it being a town where many people retire. While some of the driving of seniors is questionable, so is the driving of many other dickwads who drove without their lights on and/or were speeding, the past 3 days where we had heavy rain, hail, and no sunlight!!

I do beleive that yearly testing should be compulsory, if it isnt already, as lets face it out senses do begin to fail somewhat as we age. I also beleive that everyone going for their licence at any age should be put thru a defensive driving course, with simulations of all sorts of possibilities that we may face on the roads. Of course, it wont happen, the governments are not going to front up with the cost, but in my dreamland I think it would be a good idea.

Oh, and anyone that bears the My Family stickers on their car. Test them too lol. They are getting as bad and as boring as frangipani ones

Annoying as it is and as dangerous as it can be when it makes everyone else lose their cool I do not think it holds the same danger as doing double the speed limit.

Don't misunderstand...I dislike both behaviours

In Tasmania we have roads where you can drive 100km that are windy. If you are expecting all other drivers on the road to be doing the speed limits (which people should be doing) then if someone driving 100km turns a bend and runs into someone doing 50km there is still as much of a possibility of people being killed as if someone was doing 100km in a 50km zone

Isn't there some sort of driving test scheme in place already for older drivers? I thought Dad told me my Nanna had to have a driving test, she is 86 and passed the test so still driving which I have to say makes me pretty nervous although she is in good health for her age.

She needs a "D" plate on her car - D for hand knitted doilies over the rear passenger headrests.
Why Nanna Why??

Luci

In NSW you have to do a driving test every year once you get to 85. But according to my driving instructor the test is a lot easier then the test you do to get your P's. You are allowed to make more mistakes and it is a shorter test.

S plates, i think, are futile.

There is a crazy woman in our area who, when I was working at a supermarket asked me (because checkout chicks make these decisions!) why I put the isle signs up so high because she can't read them. This woman parks on the 'side of the road' about 2 metres from the curb. I don't think she actually has a licence anymore, but drives regardless. There is no way she could pass a test when her vision is so impaired that she can't read a sign 2-3 mtrs away from her head. But everyone knows her ute. Everyone knows her by sight. Everone knows that you steer clear of her. Our local cop shop is only manned from 8-12noon mon-Friday, so even if you called the cops to her erratic driving they would be at least 20 min away.

S plates, I doubt, would do anything.
Not much would get her off the road. The only thing you could do is confiscate her car....

It is a LIMIT **Xena** not a directive!

I live on one of those windy Tasmanian roads, ours has a limit of 80kmph - I drive on it every day and I can assure you it scares the willies out of me when you meet a car hooning along at 80 (or more)

To safely transverse that road it is more like 60/70kmph but very often there are people doing much less because it is so pretty. (or like the other day because there is a massive big seal on the side of the road!)

I can drive it at 80 because I know it so well, but I don't. There are cyclists, there are tourists, there are boats and trailers and most importantly at night there are dozens of animals.

If you are driving so fast that you are unable to stop because the car in front is travelling slower than you are then you are driving WAY too fast for the conditions.

You know Tasmanian roads, there could be a tree down, there could be a domesticated animal that has broken through a fence, there could (and will be!) a family of demented native hens running across in front of you.

Yes some older drivers do drive slowly but I for one would MUCH prefer that to a speeding teenage or adult hoon.

If you are taking a bend at 100km an hour - you are driving way too fast!

I am in full agreeance with this.

My grandfather refused to give up his licence, even though he was suffering alzheimers & couldn't even drive to my parents place (1km away) without getting lost. My parents had lived in the same house for 34 years at that point in time.

Also my dad & I have numerous arguments when i'm driving, he hasn't kept up to date with the rules & does not understand the rule of the car in front has right of way in a merge situation.

Oh rubbish. Where I used to live it was a 20 min trip to town. On a 100k zone. The bends were easily done at 100. Doing 50 in that situation is just dangerous, as is doing 100 in a 50 zone. Yet the elderly without fail would travel at those speeds putting everyone in danger.

Really - well I beg to differ and I think the RTA would too - particularly if signed - but you know what knock yourself out - I just hope your dangerous driving kills only yourself and not other road users!

The only times of late my life has been put in danger it has been by hoons of the 18-30 variety who want to do 30+ kms over the speed limit and overtake when not safe to do so.