Older drivers pose 'small risk' to road safety
THE public should be better educated that older drivers pose a small risk to road safety, a motoring group has said.
The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) issued the plea after a poll it carried out showed that three out of four people would report elderly friends or relatives to the authorities if they were concerned about their driving standards.
The online poll also revealed that 68 per cent of respondents believed that mandatory retesting of drivers over the age of 70 would benefit road safety.
The IAM, which asked nearly 2,000 people their opinions, opposes such mandatory retesting as unnecessary.
However, it welcomed the fact that 77 per cent thought that young drivers present the greatest risk to road safety.
Drivers in their teens and 20s make up 15 per cent of motorists yet are involved in 34 per cent of injury crashes.
In comparison, drivers over the age of 70 make up eight per cent of road users yet are involved in only four per cent of injury crashes involving drivers over 70, the IAM said.
Neil Greig, from IAM, said: “It is good news that most drivers are aware that young drivers are the demographic most in need of help, but worrying that the mandatory retest has a fairly high level of support – one in four polled agreed strongly that a mandatory retest at 70 would benefit road safety. “The IAM believes we need to reassure the public that older drivers do not represent a disproportionate risk.”
He added: “Retesting at 70 would be a mammoth administrative task with little road safety benefit and the Government and safety bodies must work together to communicate the facts about older drivers more widely.”
The IAM recommends offering driver assessments, which can prevent the deterioration of driving skills and means that licenses will not be taken away from perfectly safe older drivers.
Some local authorities offer driving assessments for older drivers but they are not widely available. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has a Classic Driver presentation. The IAM offers its own in-car assessment, called DriveCheck 55, which is available nationwide.
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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