Dangers of aged car drivers

[Gromit]

// A judge has urged relatives of elderly drivers to think “very, very carefully” whether they should still be on the road after a 90-year-old retired GP killed another motorist in a head-on collision while on the wrong side of a dual carriageway. //

http://www.telegraph....ills-urges-judge.html

Should compulsary re-tests be introduced at for example 70?

[kendra20]

I think all drivers should have to take another test at 70-75. Im 70 bye the way. My father drove all his life from 14 to 86 and never had to take a test. I was with him one day just before he was 86 and told him "watch the curb dad your getting close" his reply was "what curb" I rest my case.

[chaptazbru]

But that was just YOUR Dad ......

[LoftyLottie]

He obviously was in need of the right glasses Kendra - nothing to do with age. I agree with Chap. That was just your Dad. You can get bad drivers at 17 onwards.

[kendra20]

It wasnt his driving at fault so much as his eye sight perhaps a eye test rather than a driving test

[LoftyLottie]

Yes, I think a lot of people don't notice their deteriating eyesight as they get older.

[pdq1]

With over 1,000,000 drivers driving around uninsured they not only present more problems to other motorists than elderly drivers but is the reason why premiums are so high. Anyone over 70 has to renew their driving licence every 3 years and questions asked about eyesight etc.

[anotheoldgit]

The elderly are more likely to have regular eye tests taken, more medical checks etc, and their vehicles are also more likely to be regularly serviced.

They are also more patient, less distracted by others in the vehicle such as young children etc. and do not need to 'show off' to impress.

[Twenty20]

To put forward another viewpoint, perhaps the legal minimum age for driving should be raised, and I mean raised considerably, to something like 21 or 25.

17 is far too young to be allowed behind the wheel of a car.

I also think a maximum age before having to sit a retest should be introduced. Perhaps at 70.

Actually, although it's probably impractical, ideally everyone should resit their test every couple of years. The number of people who have no idea of the Highway Code is alarming. I'm not sure how many of the drivers on the road today, who have been driving for some years, would pass the current theory test let alone the practical. Probably very few.

[Gromit]

It is clear there is not enough roads for the number of drivers in this country. Every where we go there are jams, congestion and the traffic is not moving as it should. Maybe we should raise the age you can start to drive to 30 and lower the limit where you must stop to 55.
Distribution and the the speed of getting from A to B would improve greatly for the most productive (taxpayers) in our society.

Perhaps we should give it a try... ...?

[Graham-W]

Gromit. How about alternate years. Odd numbers, the husband drives, even numbers, the wife drives.
Makes about as much sense as your suggestion.

[baza]

Graham that means i can only go out alternate days as Mrs B does not drive, well only a trolley round the supermarket

[Graham-W]

There would be special dispensation for those who choose not to drive. You could even sell your even years entitlement to someone who wants to drive every year. At a stroke the number of drivers on the road would be reduced as the men bought there wife's entitlement to satisfy their needs. How the kids would get to school I don't know.

[baza]

the kids could always walk. too many yummy mummies on the roads at peak times, little nigel would benefit from the exercise.

[jno]

not a bad idea, but I doubt all the testing in the world will stop people who drive on the wrong side of a dual carriageway. The real problem is ot age as such, but that someone with dementia and poor eyesight was allowed to drive, and that needs stopping.

[Answerprancer]

From personal experience, I feel that most people who are 'beyond it' as far as driving's concerned usually know and will bow out gracefully. My Grandma (who is in her early 90s) recently retired from driving after several years of very localised non-motorway/A-road driving.
This classically tabloid style article is loaded with inflammatory expressions like "killed another motorist" "white-haired" and "shuffled on a zimmer frame".
My thought is that this was a very rare freak accident.

[starone]

There are lots of exceptions to the general rule - a friend of mine is older than me, I think she is 87, and has driven for all of her adult life, during the war she was a driver in the army, and she is brilliant. However there should be some form of testing to improve driving. I know that I am now incapable of driving safely and would be a danger to myself and the general public if I tried. Lots of people will not admit this even to themselves, sorry to say this applies mostly to men.

[lady-janine]

agree with 20/20.

i'm over the witching age but when i'm better thinking of changing my car to z3. bet i'm more careful and courteous than most youngsters.

[DTCwordfan]

I'm afraid, Lottie, research work in the States and Australia suggests anything but your proposition. I am trying to find the UK numbers but I quote from one source. SmartMotorist.com:


"In the next 20 years the number of elderly drivers (persons 70 & over) is predicted to triple in the United States. As age increases, older drivers generally become more conservative on the road. Many mature drivers modify their driving habits (for instance to avoid busy highways or night-time driving) to match their declining capabilities. However, statistics show that older drivers are more likely than younger ones to be involved in multi-vehicle crashes, particularly at intersections.

Ads


Research on age-related driving concerns has shown that at around the age of 65 drivers face an increased risk of being involved in a vehicle crash. After the age of 75, the risk of driver fatality increases sharply, because older drivers are more vulnerable to both crash-related injury and death. Three behavioral factors in particular may contribute to these statistics: poor judgement in making left-hand turns; drifting within the traffic lane; and decreased ability to change behavior in response to an unexpected or rapidly changing situation.

Concern about the increased number of older drivers and their potentially decreased driving abilities is growing, especially among younger drivers. Statistics, based on all people injured or killed in traffic crashes, indicate that older drivers are at a disproportionate risk for becoming involved in fatal crashes. A NHTSA study of 1995 FARS (Fatal Accident Reporting System) data reports that senior citizens accounted for:

5% of all people injured in traffic crashes
13% of all traffic fatalities
13% of all vehicle occupant fatalities
18% of all pedestrian fatalities
In a 1997 NHTSA study, older people made up 9 percent of the population but accounted for 14 percent of all traffic fatalities and 17 percent of all pedestrian fatalities."

[DTCwordfan]

Interesting article here: http://www.telegraph....-than-young-ones.html

[lady-janine]

oh dear. i once did some temping work for an insurance company motoring division and the majority of claims were from drivers under the age of 25 not over 70.