Our elderly lying behind the wheel

An article published by DPSeNews last Monday (30 May 2011) suggested the majority of elderly drivers are more than willing to hand over the car keys if they were deemed “incompetent” to drive, however new Australian research has found older drivers with medical problems are lying and staying away from the GP to keep their licences.

A South Australian Queen Elizabeth Hospital study, which surveyed thousands of drivers, has found road safety would improve and the number of crashes would be reduced if the compulsory system was abolished.

About one in 10 drivers in a door-to-door survey of 3,000 said they would avoid telling their doctor the truth about a medical condition that would threaten the loss of their licence.

The report found 1.9% stay away from their doctor, 5.4% lie to their doctor, and 1% find a doctor who “tells them what they want to hear”.

Associate Professor Dr Brian Smith, co-author of the report, said a system where the doctor worked in co-operation with drivers would work better.

“It is likely that public safety would be improved if the mandatory legislation was removed and more effort put into educating drivers about their own responsibilities,” Dr Smith stated in the current edition of the American Journal of Respiratory Medicine.

According to Dr Smith, those seeking to avoid the mandatory reporting system rose to one in five when the drivers suspected they had a medical condition that would mean they could no longer drive.

He said far more people had indicated they would be willing to confess if the system left it up to them, meaning their objections were based on doctors being forced to reveal private medical information.

However, not all elderly South Australians feel the need to lie when it comes to their driving ability.

Waikerie resident, Eileen Marschall, 96, has renewed her licence for another decade, and also works at her family’s real estate business.

“It’s so important for older people to be able to keep their licence, it means we can be independent, not everyone has family to drive them around,” she told The Sunday Mail newspaper.

FACT: About 100,000 SA drivers must undergo an annual medical questionnaire when they have reached the age of 70 and doctors must report younger drivers if they are unfit to drive.

Would you lie to keep your driver’s licence, or do you know anyone who has lied to keep their licence?