Study Raises Concerns Around Elderly Drivers

As Road Safety Week revs up, concerns have been raised over the safety of elderly drivers on British roads. This has become apparent after more than a quarter of adults in a recent poll said they believe their elderly relatives should give up on driving.

750 adults over the age of 40 were asked a number of questions, including their opinions on old people driving. The study was conducted by RIAS, a specialist insurance company, in time for Road Safety Week – a national push to get drivers, and pedestrians, indeed all road users, to come together and use the roads safely.

It would seem many adults want elderly relatives to stop driving due to what they perceive as a deterioration in the quality of their driving over time (be it from sight loss or other physical effects). In fact, a whopping 80% saying the driving ability of older relatives had deteriorated in their more senior years.

Additionally it appears a significant number of those surveyed are nervous stepping in the car with them as a passenger, as 43% said they felt unsafe when being driven by them.

Despite these figures, around three quarters of participants said they had never let their relatives know how they felt, and had never even suggested ways to make their driving safer. Of this group, 41% explained they would not do so due to nervousness at offending them.

For all the worry from adults about the safety of their elderly relatives on the roads, it may well be for nothing. Research conducted by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) earlier in the year suggested it is young people who are at much greater risk of an accident behind the wheel.

Research suggested concerns around elderly drivers was generally unfounded, as 12% of serious crashes are committed by teenage drivers, despite the fact they account for just 1.5% of the total number of drivers.

Finally it is important to promote Road Safety Week as a way of getting involved with safety campaigns, at home, school or in the workplace. It lasts from 17th to the 23rd of November. Check out the Road Safety Week website for information on events and how to improve your driving.

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