Handing over the keys not a problem
An American survey found that the majority of elderly drivers would support mandatory retesting of drivers based on age, while others would hand over the car keys if a doctor or loved one said they were no longer fit to drive.
An American survey found that the majority of elderly drivers would support mandatory retesting of drivers based on age, while others would hand over the car keys if a doctor or loved one said they were no longer fit to drive.
The survey, conducted by the University of Colorado School of Medicine, revealed 71% supported mandatory retesting and 68% believed family should decide whether a licence be revoked, while 53% believed the decision should be made by doctors. Only 26% of the survey’s participants believe police should make the decision as to whether or not an elderly driver is fit to be behind the wheel.
Of the 122 elderly participants, astoundingly 87% said they had at least one medical diagnosis possibly linked to increased crash risk while 12% reported having had a crash in the past year.
The survey’s researchers said the problem would “grow more and more” as baby boomers neared retirement.
Despite sensational media stories labelling elderly American drivers as dangerous, drivers over age 75 are only responsible for 4% of pedestrian fatalities. However, older drivers do have high motor vehicle accidents per miles, driven with less ability to recover from injuries due to their often frail condition.
The aim of the survey was to see if there should be some form of screening put in place to determine the competency of elderly drivers.
The survey’s lead researchers believe more in depth competency tests need to be carried out rather than just the standard vision tests.
They said there were complications from diabetes that might affect driving, cognitive problems, dementia and medications which may be taken, which are all factors that can impact on driving ability.
This story follows one written by DPS Publishing earlier this month, stating how Australian research revealed older drivers tend to make more driving errors, particularly when checking their ‘blind-spot’.
