More than one million elder drivers in Britain, refuse to admit they might be a danger behind the wheel. Failing to disclose medical conditions that might prohibit them.
More than one million drivers in Britain aged over 65 refuse to admit they are a danger behind the wheel, risking a £1000 (R22 100) fine for failing to disclose serious medical conditions that would legally prohibit them from driving.
Almost 3/10 elderly drivers over the age of 65, have medical issues that must legally be disclosed to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. These include conditions such as – visual impairments, diabetes, heart conditions and epilepsy, but a recent survey for Direct Line showed that less than half of these elderly drivers have actually told the DVLA about these conditions.
Most drivers seem to believe that their medical conditions won’t affect their driving, however, according to road safety charity, Brake, poor eyesight is considered to be the medical condition that contributes the most to road accidents. Resulting in as many as 2900 casualties a year!
Elderly drivers in the UK who are over 70 years of age are required to fill in a self-assessment form every three years, in order to renew their licences. Many critics believe that this isn’t enough and that a mandatory medical driving test should also be required. Relatives of those who have been killed by an accident involving elderly drivers have supported Brake in their call for more mandatory testing for elderly drivers.
A spokesman said:
"Age in itself is not a barrier to safe driving. However, it’s essential that all drivers, regardless of age, tell us about a relevant medical condition that may affect their driving."
Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said that driving gave "huge social and economic benefits" to older people and called for a national network of mobility centres to give advice to older drivers.
She said: "In other countries where they have stricter medical rules to address this issue there is little evidence it has improved overall safety.
Overall the safety record of older drivers is good. It doesn’t make sense to judge someone’s driving skills just by how old they are because ageing impacts on people in such different ways."
Peter Conroy, 73, who is partially blind, was sentenced to two years in prison in 2014 after hitting two women on a pedestrian crossing, killing one and injuring the other.
Audrey Norden, 93, suffered a fractured pelvis and died a month later of thrombosis, incurred through lack of movement. Her daughter Margaret Elvidge, 63, was left with fractures to her leg and broken vertebrae.
Conroy was wearing his reading glasses instead of long-distance eyewear and was found by police to be incapable of reading a number plate further than four metres away.
Source: IOL
