Elderly driverRolf Vennenbernd/DPA/Press Association Images

The driving population is ageing. As the first car owners reach their 70s and 80s, the motoring population is getting older. In fact, according to the Institute of Advanced Motorists, the number of drivers over the age of 80 is going to rise 22% in the next ten years, to 1.3 million.

So what will this mean for all road users? Are older drivers safe, and should they be allowed to keep on driving into the sunset?


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Rising numbers

These is a real explosion of older drivers on the roads. Drivers over the age of sixty-five now make up 25% of the driving population - and that number is only going to rise as baby boomers enter retirement, and younger drivers are priced off the roads.

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The law at the moment requires all drivers to renew their licence at the age of 70, and then every three years after that. A surprising number believe the rules should be stricter. Research in 2010 by over 50s motor insurance provider RIAS found that 24% of Brits - equivalent to 11.9 million consumers - think that drivers should hang up their keys at age 75, 70 or even younger than 70, while 63% of British people believe that drivers should be forced to give up their driving licence at some stage in later life.

Tests

The government has been under some pressure to introduce driving tests for older drivers to ensure they are up to the job. One Whitehall advisory group called for voluntary refresher courses - which fueled talk of bringing in compulsory tests.

At the moment a practical driving test costs £75 - and driving lessons to prepare can easily set you back £50 an hour. The IAM is calling for the government to resist imposing such an expensive penalty on older drivers. It highlights that drivers over 70 are no more likely to cause crashes than any other driver, and are considerably safer than younger drivers: some 8% of drivers are over 70 yet they only account for 4% of all injury crashes.

IAM chief executive Simon Best says: "Today, over 10 million people can expect to reach 100 so the chances are they'll be driven around by their 70 year-old children. While their frailty puts them at risk if they are in a crash, that doesn't necessarily mean that they are a risk to other drivers."

Self-regulation

Sarah Howe, Marketing Director at RIAS, agrees: "The car is a vital lifeline for many older people and keeping mobile is essential for physical and mental wellbeing. We know from our experience and official statistics that older drivers have fewer accidents than younger drivers. This is partly because older drivers are more likely to self-regulate their driving behaviours, avoiding risky driving conditions for example."

"We need to encourage and support self-regulation so that older people can maintain the independence they need for as long as possible and recognise when it is appropriate to acknowledge when they are putting themselves and others at risk."

Best adds: "Despite the increase in numbers, we should resist calls for compulsory retests for elderly drivers. The government needs a strategy now on how it is going to manage more elderly drivers and make them more aware of the risks they face. The top priority must be non-compulsory driving assessments available nationwide to help them deal with modern high speed traffic and eliminate any bad habits."

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