Fitness to drive: ‘People should plan retirement from driving’

Freedom of Information requests show that an increasing number of people are contacting the DVLA out of concern about their drivers’ ability to drive.

Experts said seniors should plan retirement from driving and relatives should have “difficult conversations” with loved ones.

In 2022, 48,754 individual driving fitness concerns were submitted to the DVLA.

The government said motorists must ensure they are in good driving condition.

If a driver cannot read a license plate from 65 feet (20 meters) away, the driver’s licensing agency must be notified.

“He literally didn’t look at my father at all and drove straight into him,” Tassel’s daughter Emma Damen said.

Mrs. Demen encouraged anyone worried about her family’s driving ability to “say something.”

“Because after all, if you didn’t, if they got behind the wheel, look what happened in my case. My father should still be here, but he isn’t. There is no reason for that,” she said.

Mrs Damen wants a free and mandatory eye test “on every license renewal”.

He added, “How can the decision to drive a car that could cause a fatality, clearly the worst-case scenario, be a choice?”

According to a BBC Freedom of Information Request, 48,754 notices were filed with the DVLA for concerns about a person’s fitness to drive in 2022, an 82% increase from 26,716 in 2021.

In the first three months of 2023, the agency received 11,548.

These figures include self-reported figures, healthcare provider figures, and third-party notifications.

Department of Transportation (DfT) data shows an increase in fatality rates for both older and younger drivers.

Elderly drivers aged 70 and over accounted for 21% of fatal car accidents in 2021. Young drivers aged between 17 and 24 accounted for 16%.

Age UK charity director Caroline Abrahams said: “It’s our view that age is a pretty rotten proxy for driving ability, and research supports that idea.”

“As we age, our reaction speed slows. But we tend to compensate because we have more experience.”

According to DVLA data, as of May 13, there were 6,023,173 people over the age of 70 in the UK holding a full driving licence.

In 2017, the population aged 90 and over exceeded 100,000 for the first time. As of May, the number is 139,673.

“There will come a time when most of us will actually lock it, but it’s very difficult to judge,” Abrahams said.

She said many seniors “cherish the bus pass. But of course, if you have a bus, that’s fine.”

But he said it was “probably a good idea” to introduce “driving tests, certain cognitive tests, medical tests.”

Professor Musselwhite said those who had planned to retire from driving were better able to lock.

“They sometimes have friends, family or neighbors who help them drive,” he said.

“But those who break up too late run the risk of feeling very lonely and unable to complete their lives through the journey they once did.”

His mother, Pat Colquhoun, said: “He was 27 years old and was abducted for the rest of his life by a stubborn old man who disobeyed his family.

“It seems insane to me that a gentleman with such poor eyesight should be allowed to drive.”

Senior Drivers Forum President Rob Hurd said those looking to have a “difficult conversation” with a loved one need to know who is best to talk to, when is the right time, and what steps to take together. He said that it should consider whether it is possible to take

Becky Guy, road safety manager at the Royal Society for Accident Prevention, said: “If you feel unsafe driving for medical reasons, the first thing you should do is see your GP as soon as possible.” added.

He said a “quick assessment” would help drivers spot areas for improvement, and the Driving Mobility Center could “perhaps adapt their vehicles to advise people on how to continue driving safely.” rice field.

A DfT spokesperson said: “All drivers are already required to be medically fit to drive, and all motorists over the age of 70 renew their licences every three years. We have no plans to change the requirements for older drivers.”