Driving: How old's too old? A response
Earlier this week, we began looking at whether older drivers should be required to take regular, independent medical tests after the age of 70. Full details on the blog.
Thanks to everyone who commented and emailed us their interesting and, often moving stories. This is the full report broadcast on the programme.
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We spoke to
* Dr Melanie Simms who sparked off the story with her email
* Elizabeth Dainton who shared research she's done for the RAC foundation
* Walter Levy, the 83-year-old cabbie who takes Eddie for a spin
* Dr David Carvel, a GP in the Scottish town of Biggar, South Lanarkshire
* Stephen Ladyman, who was a Minister in the Department of Transport until June 2007
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Comments
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Of course older people who want to drive have rights – but they also have responsibilites.
In February of this year my mother, an active 74-year-old who enjoyed swimming, country walks and foreign travel, was hit by a car while crossing the road. The driver was 93. She was almost completely across the road and witnesses told the police that the driver took no avoiding action and didn’t apply his brakes. He subsequently failed an eyesight test. The bottom line is that he wasn’t capable of seeing her and wasn’t safe to be on the road.
My mother suffered horrendous multiple trauma injuries - she was unconscious for 12 days and lucky to survive. She only left hospital last month, six months after this happened. Her life – and the lives of those close to her – has been devasted by this and may never be the same again. Like the driver, she also has rights – like the right to the active life she enjoyed so much before she was hit through no fault of her own.
When my family and I started investigating how something like this could happen we were shocked by how little control there is over drivers who are no longer capable of driving safely.
Fit, able and responsible older drivers should have nothing to fear from more stringent and frequent testing. Maybe if the driver’s insurers were liable for the costs of my mother’s treatment (which must have cost the NHS and consequently taxpayers a small fortune) they would themselves take more responsibility for ensuring the drivers they insure are safe.
But of course we need to look at the bigger picture, too. Without decent public transport, especially in rural areas, some older drivers may feel they have no alternative other than to get behind the wheel.
The police office investigating the case told us that this is now a bigger problem than drink driving - so it needs urgent, multi-agency action to prevent more devastated lives.
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If you are concerned about the competency of an elderly relative the answer is easy. Rather than try to make them just stop on your say-so suggest that they are assessed by their local IAM Group. This will be an objective assessment in a relaxed (non-test) situation with advioce on strengths and weaknesses and the chance to sign up for refresher training to bring them up to current standards if they are seen as fit to continue to drive but with some improvement needed. It is not 'Government', 'Police' or other other authoritatian bodies poking in their business but rather a mature, unbiased but experienced person concerned to improve the driving safety of everyone.
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