every 10 years while you are under 60, then one every 3-5 years after that
Sure, why not. Make it a 20min exam at something like 30 bucks and it’ll improve road safety for everyone at a manageable cost for the individual. I mean I’m paying way more for the car, insurance, gasoline… Also spend way more time in some traffic jams. Guess I could do it every few years or so…
IDK how it is in other states, but California already makes me re-test every few years. And it’s less than 10. Tho it doesn’t require a behind-the-wheel test; just the multiple choice test.
Those are good for showing you’re up to date on law changes, but doesn’t do anything about showing actual proficiency.
Maybe that’s what we need. Regular reminders of actual laws and good practices should increase the number of people who follow them.
Most of the times I’ve been endangered, the driver was competent (as far as I know). Usually they make a stupid choice (and we all do it) and it’s probably something that’s no big deal nine times out of ten …… except when it is a big deal
I don’t think this opinion is as unpopular as you expect. Especially post COVID where everyone clearly forgot the little driving skill they did have.
for a couple years during covid, they didn’t even do behind-the-wheel driving tests here, even for new drivers
At least in some places well before COVID they didn’t bother with road tests. My first GF got her first license in a tiny little town in GA way back in 1998-99. No driving test was administered
The problem is who the opinion is unpopular with. About 22% of registered voters are in the AARP, and they’d be most at risk of losing their driving privileges. Any legislator proposing this or voting for it may as well kiss their office goodbye.
I would go a step further: either make the tests progressively harder (they have more experience driving, right?) or gate vehicle class/weight behind better scores.
I really dislike the trend of the worst drivers getting the largest vehicles, endangering literally everyone.
I despise shitty drivers who buy huge dangerous vehicles because they feel safer. absolutely despise them. it’s a fucking disgusting selfish decision.
Should fail the road test if they can’t keep the vehicle in the lane, can’t fit the vehicle in a standard parking spot.
It used to be a point of pride that you could drive well enough for a larger vehicle, but now it’s the larger vehicles that can’t stay in the lane or reverse or park
Do it when you get your colonoscopies. A little propofol, a little road test… have fun with it.
You can’t leave until you run out of gas.
It’ll never become a mandatory thing. Driving is too important in the US.
Buuuut what could happen overnight is that insurance companies could start giving discounts for regular driving classes, like how taking a defensive driving class gets you a discount, or taking advanced rider courses often gets you a discount on motorcycle insurance.
And then just start actually enforcing basic traffic laws. Where I am, cops are beyond useless about that.
In the US, driving a car is mandatory. Your safety is being sacrificed for the economy and auto/fuel industries, not because low skilled drivers exist.
It takes a real asshole to make driving harder for the individual in a system where the only alternative to driving is fuck yourself. If you can’t drive, you don’t deserve to eat!
It’s a proud American tradition to re-distribute the shit rather than doing something about the assholes above you.
Yeah. I agree with OP, you shouldn’t be allowed to operate dangerous machinery if you can’t do so at some acceptable level of competence, but what you said is the realpolitik reason it’s not done that way in the US, I think. I imagine that’s true in other car-dependent communities as well.
In order to make driver licensing more stringent, non-driving has to be a viable way to live. Both of which need to happen, IMO, but one has to come first.
Well Said.
When traffic isn’t enforced, driving tests won’t make a difference. I’m actually getting to the point where I wish they’d install red light cams again due to the number of people I see regularly run them. And as long as you’re under 100 mph, you’re good!
Yep. With a short introduction which laws and regulations are new, and maybe a reminder about older rules that are not followed as they better should.
And: you should have to bring a current first aid course certificate and a doctors note on how good your eye sight is.
Licenses have to be redone ever 4 years in my state, and they do a vision test right in the SOS office.
The BAC content that you take your test at should determine your legal limit.
I’m sure I could pass a driving test when nearly blackout drunk, so.
Im sure i can do a backflip when blackout drunk.
Doesnt mean i can, just that i believe i can.
No I very likely can. It’s not hard.
The reason why we don’t do this is because driving tests are short. I’m sure most drunk driving incidents involve zero people ending up hurt. Drunk driving is illegal because the rate of people getting hurt is much higher than usual.
Loads of people drive tired, and moderately drunk people are better than tired people at driving
Just how drunk do you get where “blackout drunk” is moderate drinking to you?
I agree. It’s not that your driving skills might be lost over time, it’s to refresh everyone on laws and regulations. It would also catch people who have had cognitive decline and should not be driving.
Night driving should be included in any driving test.
nobody would pass because nobody can see anything with LED headlights anymore
Heavy disagree on that. Much bigger issue is trucks whose headlights are too high (in north america anyway, we don’t have many of those in Europe except for lorries that don’t drive at night that much). LEDs and HIDs, by law, are installed inside projectors that cut off the beam and low beams are pointed down… from the factory, anyway. There’s quite literally no reason they should blind you except for being installed too high (trucks) or pointed too high (idiots or people whose headlight leveling systems are not calibrated, but stuff like that actually gets checked at annual inspection where I come from).
Old headlights with no projectors are worse than correctly aimed factory HIDs or LEDs because the light is all scattered (and they’re so shit that the driver’s more tempted to just keep the high beams on as long as possible)
My town of half a million people requires logged practice at night while on the learners permit
what about before 60?
Adding more friction to driving might yield better transit options. Let’s do it.
Doesn’t seem like an unpopular opinion. At least not on Lemmy.
WRONG. DOWNVOTED. BLOCKED.
Just kidding.
But “unpopular opinions” are hard, though, because the TRULY unpopular ones usually don’t get upvotes. lol
