Solving a bunch of problems with one test

MPI should be doing mandatory retesting of the entire population every 10 years.

This solves a bunch of problems with one fell stroke. I recently filled out a survey for MPI where I gave them my opinion on the matter:

Starting as soon as possible, we could ease into this new strategy by rolling it out on a small scale through a lottery.

100x drivers' names should be drawn from a lottery to be subjected to a written test this year.

Those who fail should be forced to redo their driving test.

Those who fail have their licence suspended and are mandated X hours of driving instruction with a qualified instructor.

The next year, same thing (having removed the names who were subjected to testing): 100x drivers up for re-testing.

This lottery strategy should continue as capacity is built into the driver testing system to allow for the entire population (not merely a draw) to be subjected to this mandatory resting rubric on a 10-year cycle.

Or maybe once the entire population is being re-tested with the written component, the lottery is maintained to select individuals for random driving tests (even for those who passed the written component.)

Why?

Driver behaviour is atrocious: some of it is lack of cognitive facility that is not caught (or is called ageism if it's pointed out) while some of it is simple lack of skill, inattention and forgetfulness of the rules.

We will ALL benefit if we're all *forced* to brush up on the rules.

So besides solving the problem of getting inept seniors off the road without accusations of ageism, it also solves the problem of simply bad drivers. Additionally it addresses the "need for education" issue that frequently comes up.

It will makes it more viable to introduce new roadway features (or to make amendments to the highway traffic act) because folks will have opportunity to *learn* in their studying to re-pass their written driver's test.

Voluntary "re-education" through advertising campaigns will only ever do so much. Highly incentivized "re-education due to the threat of failing a test" will be much more effective.

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