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19/01/2010
Drivers over 70 are no more dangerous than most others and are much safer than young drivers, a road safety charity has said.
And the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) suggests that, rather than excluding some older people from all driving altogether, flexible licensing conditions could be used to restrict their use of the roads.
The institute's comments accompany its publication of Older Drivers - safe or unsafe?, in which it examines the statistics and issues relating to the safety of the most elderly motorists, whose numbers are set to increase greatly over the coming two decades. Its research suggests that drivers over 70 make up 8% of all motorists, and yet they are involved in just 4% of crashes that result in injury. In contrast, motorists in their teens or twenties make up 15% of all drivers, yet are involved in 34% of injury crashes.
Despite older drivers' tendency to "self-regulate" in their use of motorways, or during poor driving conditions, the report notes that those aged 85 and over are four times more likely to cause crashes than to be involved in one as an innocent victim.
The increased frailty of older drivers means that they are disproportionately vulnerable to injury and death resulting from accidents, the charity says, and they are more likely to make driving errors that result in an accident - particularly on junctions and on roads with a high speed limit.
Under current laws, drivers must re-apply for a licence when they reach the age of 70 and every three years thereafter, self-certifying their fitness to stay on the roads. While this system is all or nothing, the IAM has called for a debate on the introduction of restricted licences that might limit aging drivers to local roads, or restrict their access to motorways.
IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said that the organisation did not believe in the case for arbitrary re-testing of drivers at a fixed age.
"The IAM recommends that, rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we need to make them aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them cope with these risks."
And he added: "The report contradicts the common assumption that older drivers are a danger on the roads."
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