Two in three people believe that elderly drivers should be forced to retake their driving test once they reach a certain age, a survey suggests. The survey, carried out by Uswitch car insurance, found that millennials were the generation most in favour of senior driving tests with 79% of those aged 28-43 believing that older drivers should be retested.
Currently in the UK, UK drivers aged 70 and above must renew their licences every three years through a self-assessment questionnaire, but some believe that this is not stringent enough. Recent data suggests that crashes involving elderly drivers have increased to a six year high attributed to poor eyesight. Currently, older drivers who fail to ensure their eyesight meets minimum legal requirements are eligible to face fines of up to £1,000.
An existing DVLA rule requires senior drivers to inform them and insurers of any medical conditions that could impair their driving.
Ian Wilson, car insurance expert and Managing Director of Tiger.co.uk, said: “Older drivers are typically considered one of the safest age groups, which is why the over 65 category enjoys the cheapest premiums.”
He added: “However, as drivers approach mid to late 70s, they often see their premiums start to increase, as accidents at that age can be more frequent and injuries could be more severe.
“When you renew your licence as an older driver, make sure that your answers on the self-assessment questionnaire are honest and accurate, otherwise you could find yourself in trouble with the law.”
Professor Philip Graham said: “At the age of 80, I arranged (for a modest fee) for an assessment through the Institute of Advanced Motoring. At 83, I arranged a further assessment and recently, after my 86th birthday, I did the same.
“The assessment involves driving for about an hour with an experienced assessor beside you.
“Afterwards you get an overall rating and some words of advice. For the first two sessions I was rated ‘safe and competent’ but my recent rating was better – ‘excellent’ – largely because of my taking advice to improve use of my wing mirrors. It is gratifying to identify a skill that has actually improved between 80 and 86.”
Unsurprisingly, drivers aged 70+ were the least in favour of mandatory tests with just 33% in favour.
The reasons given for supporting retesting included slower reaction times (64%), sight issues (62%), deteriorated health (52%), deteriorated attention (51%) and deteriorated driving performance (44%).
