The Association of British Insurers (ABI) will release a report tomorrow at a Road Safety Seminar that has led them to conclude that people over 70 need to be given regular cognitive tests and eye exams to ensure that they are still competent to keep their driver’s license.
Their report has shown that drivers over 70 are three times more likely to be involved in accidents that cause serious injury or death compared to drivers between the ages of 40-65. ABI says that elderly drivers have slightly more crashes per mile than middle-aged drivers, but when they are injured they take longer to recover. Elderly drivers have more side impact accidents at intersections and more accidents at roundabouts that ABI contend are caused by their poorer judgement.
The number of elderly having driver’s license has increased. In 1975, only 15% had licenses while in 2004 that number has increased to 47%. ABI predicts that by the year 2050, a quarter of all drivers on the road will be over 70.Stephen Haddrill, ABI’s Director General, told This Is Money web site that the problem of elderly drivers needs to be attended to. “The increasing numbers of older drivers will be one of the big motoring issues this century. The insurance industry is already responding positively. Today the average upper age limit for new older customers is 82, compared to 74 ten years ago.”
Currently, the DVLA requires elderly drivers to fill in a self-assessment form. DVLA admits that the system is highly abused with only 10% of the drivers with notifiable conditions admitting it on the form.
Improving the testing for elderly drivers will be good for everyone. Right now once a driver reaches the age of 70 their insurance premiums go up £100 no matter if they are a good driver or not. By having rigorous testing, ABI believes that the poor drivers would be weeded out so that the increase in annual premiums for the elderly could be scrapped.
ABI also recommends that local authorities do more to educate and promote the use of public transport among the elderly. Already people over the age of 60 are entitled to a free bus pass for local busses. From 2008, that service will be extended to include free passes for travel throughout Britain. Research has shown that the elderly who do use busses have stops very near their homes otherwise they give it a pass.
David Sinclair, policy manager at Help the Aged, told This Is Money web site, that, “Many older people rely on their cars, and we need to do all we can to ensure they can continue to drive safely and receive the support they need when it is time to stop driving. We will be working with the ABI to explore how this can be achieved”.
