Are older drivers dangerous?

There seems to be more and more in the press about older drivers and their safety. Australia is currently debating whether older drivers should be restricted to a small geographic area (expected to be 6 miles), whilst more and more US states (California is about to go this route) are making re-tests compulsory for the over 75s. Good or bad? It’s a hard call.

For many older drivers their car is their lifeline. Take away the independence driving allows and, for many, you take away their lives. Is that what we want? With an ageing population in the west, this is a rocky road to go. I think it should be more about putting safeguards in place than undermining the elderly driver. Re-tests are one (expensive) option, but surely some simple cognitive tests by a GP are the way to go?

My own Mum & Dad are a good example of the ageing driver. Dad is 80 and Mum is 75. Yes, they’re getting on, but they still lead full and active lives. They enjoy socialising, holidays, meals out – all the things they had little time to enjoy when they were younger and working hard. What quality of life would they have left if they lost the freedom to drive and their independence? They know their limitations. Mum has always been a rotten driver (!) and only drives on familiar routes in daylight. But she was the same at 40. Dad used to be a Police driver, and very good he was, but he knows he’s not as capable these days. He’s sensible; he avoids night driving on unfamiliar roads; has a satnav so he doesn’t have the pressure of getting lost; drives more slowly than once he did. But he still loves cars (he’s just bought a new car at 80 for goodness sake!), and enjoys driving (most of the time). They live in the south of England but come originally from Lancashire. Mum persuaded Dad they should take 2 days to drive up north. They tried it. It was a failure! All Dad wanted to do was keep driving. Instead they were kicking their heels in a hotel half-way there, and itching to get up and get on. They now do the trip from Billericay in Essex to Nelson in Lancashire in around 4 hours (I’d be pleased with that, and I drive a Cayenne!). But the fact is they address their limitations and act accordingly, and I believe most elderly drivers are the same.

My better-half’s Uncle Siddy founded Saga, which became the huge success it is simply because he treated older people with respect, giving them the dignity their years and experience deserve, and not patronising them or preaching to them (and of course products they wanted at a decent price!). We need to trust our elderly drivers to be sensible, and accept that they have a lifetime of experience to make judgements. Yes, medical tests are a good idea, but don’t destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of older drivers by taking away their freedom. We should care for their safety, and the safety of others on the roads, but not at the expense of their quality of life. We’ll all be old one day.