In the UK, its a requirement to retake a driving test at age 70, what are the French licence rules?
Oh no itās not! From the DVLA website:
" Do I have to renew my licence at 70?
When you reach the age of 70, your driving licence expires ā but this doesnāt necessarily mean you have to stop driving. If you want to continue, you just need to renew your licence. Youāll need to renew it every 3 years after that. Renewal is free of charge."
In France, I understand from informal chats with my MT that you have to pass a medical as āfit to driveā before your 75th and 80th birthday, then every 2 years.
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Gulp! Well my 75 came and went, no mention of medical - now what?
Sorry Brian, you are correct. It was a headline in a news feed that prompted the question.
Seems some think it might be an idea to do this, probably to get more cars off the roads or just another thing to add to peopleās worry pot.
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in Franceā¦ for general drivingā¦ just keep going until you dropā¦ 
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maybe it is due to an existing medical condition or a category on the licence
certainly never had to pass a ādriving medicalā, neither of usā¦
although it is always comforting at the normal checkups, when our Doc has finished examining OH and declaresā¦ āheās still aliveā (well, words to that effect) 
There is talk of introducing something general, for all elderly driversā¦ due to the number of older drivers getting higher and higherā¦ but nothing concrete yetā¦ itās just talkā¦ seems folk are driving well into their 90ās and beyondā¦ if they canā¦ and why not, if theyāre safe to do soā¦
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Therein lies the rub. Our local newspaper recently reported three separate accidents involving elderly people just in one week. A head-on between a 90 year old and a 76 year old, an 80 year old chap who hit a pedestrian on a zebra crossing and an 82 year old who suffered a malaise at the wheel and ended up dead in the ditch. Add to that the irresponsible/ inexperienced youngsters whoāve just gained their permis and itās no wonder that radars and speed bumps arenāt having the desired effect on accident numbers!
and letās not forget those drivers in the age-group inbetween the very young and the very oldā¦ irresponsible driving/dangerous driving happens in all sectors I reckon.
If family have concerns re oldies, they can report to the Driverās Prefecture and/or Gendarmesā¦ who will check things out.
As far as I know that is still the case for car licences but to maintain an HGV (PL) entitlement you have to take a medical with an approved doctor every 2 years after the age of 60. Or at least that was still the case until I gave up the practice afer 10 years of doing that.
It was a bit of a joke though. Apart from the obvious eyesight and blood pressure tests, it seemed to be up to the vaguaries of the doctor doing it. One man had me standing on one leg with my eyes closed for 2 minutes. After I had fallen over eachtime after a few seconds he said, after a moments thought, āOh OK thenā, and moved on. 
Another stood next to me but facing in the opposite direction, told me to put my finger in the ear nearest to him (mine, not his 
) while he whispered a word. I was expected to be able to repeat that word but was totally unable to, couldnāt hear a thing. Fortunately his friend, who had arrived to collect him for their usual end of day apero session, and who was sitting facing me but obviously beyond his sight, mouthed the word silently to me and, as I am a fair lip reader, I repeated it exactly.
Yet another one, on discovering that I couldnāt read his eye chart said, ādo you wear glasses for reading?ā When I said I did he then told me to put them on. I read the chart faultlessly and that was that, but he marked on my card that I should wear glasses for driving in future.
Two years later and a different doctor. Passed with flying colours but a day later he called me and said that I had given him the wrong photos (they send the completed form with their own bit filled in themselves) and that as I was supposed to wear specs to drive I should be photographed with them on. I duly had two more photos taken and took them to him. However, when handed into the Prefecture they refused it. This was because you are not allowed specs in a licence photo. (Till the next time, obviously)
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Great stories David ! Reminds me of the time we went to see the approved doc so we could continue to hire cherry pickers and various trucks. Standing on one leg was the highlight. We didnāt fall over thoughā¦
Still canāt do it, just tried again, good job there is a seat in the car to use while I am driving. 
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Pleased it wasnāt just my doctor.
When taking the test he asked me to get on the scales but they refused to work.
He then looked at me and decided I was X kilos!
At the end of the test he asked which categories I wanted to retain on my licence and then ticked them all.
I have now let them lapse and limited to 3500kg vehicles although I can tow a trailer taking gross kerb wieght to 5500kg.
Will turn 70 very soon and because I have a french driving licence I can carry on regardless unlike in the UK.
With so many rural areas and no bus services in France I doubt the UK 70 plus rule will ever become reality in France.
Hence why I was checking, if it became law in the UK just think of the impact on peoples well being. It would make me retire to France.
As quoted earlier it is law in the UK to reapply every 3 years after age 70 and I believe you have to self certify your capability to drive?
Thing is it leaves the insurance companies plenty of wiggle room if an accident is the result of someone not declaring an ailment of one sort or another.
I thought you had to take a medical every couple of years after 70, for all classes of licence.
I was once stopped by police in the middle of the night in Cornwall and told that I didnāt have a licence, even though he was holding my French one in his hand. He even told me that it wasnāt allowed to drive in England without a UK licence, till he realised how silly that was.
Turns out that when I swapped my UK one for a French one in 1999, the sub-prefecture in Nontron did not send my UK one back to Swansea as they should have done, with the result that Swansea thought, as I hadnāt re-applied after 70, that I had allowed my licence to lapse.
As story in La Manche Libre yesterday of a car that les flics were chasing getting 1m airborne over speed bumps!
Unfortunately La Manche Libre online is not libre/gratis. The dƩnoument of the story was behind a paywall.
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There were 4 gendarme vehicles chasing the naughty driverā¦ who was (as you say) getting airborne over the speed humpsā¦ and the decision was made to stop chasing the naughty driver in case an accident happened.
The gendarmes had got enough information to track and apprehend the naughty driverā¦ who they felt obviously had something to hideā¦ and they would descend like a ton of bricks later, in a calm and accident free situationā¦ 
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DVLA send a renewal notice at 70 and every three years after. There are certain medical conditions listed on the renewal that require specific answers otherwise one self certifies. All can be done online.
@David_Spardo Vocational licence renewals start at 45 and every three years up to age 70 when they become annual. They always require completion of medical declaration form D4.
But think of all the voitures sans permis, that could be you!! (Or me).
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Yes, I didnāt know about that in the UK, but in France as far as I know the significant age is, or was, 60.
I retired anyway at that age but kept up with the medicals just in case for the next 10 years.