Concerns about older drivers rising, DVLA figures suggest

Jim Tassell "was cycling along the road on a nice summer's day" when killed by a driver with limited vision

The number of people contacting the DVLA worried about a driver's ability behind the wheel is rising, a BBC Freedom of Information request shows.

Experts said older people should plan their retirement from driving and relatives should be having "difficult conversations" with loved ones.

In 2022, 48,754 concerns over a person's fitness to drive were submitted to the DVLA.

The government said motorists must ensure they were fit to drive.

The BBC Freedom of Information request found that, in 2022, 48,754 notifications were submitted to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency from across Great Britain with concerns over a person's fitness to drive.

That is up 82% from 26,716 in 2021.

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

These numbers - which cover England, Wales and Scotland - include self-declarations, those by medical officials and third-party notifications.

'Just say something'

Cyclist Jim Tassell, from Andover, Hampshire, died in 2021 after he was hit by an 82-year-old motorist unable to read more than 10ft (3m).

If a driver cannot read a number plate 65ft (20m) away, they are required to tell the DVLA.

Mr Tassell's daughter Emma Damen said: "He literally didn't see my dad at all, and drove straight into him."

Mrs Damen encouraged anyone concerned about a family member's ability to drive to "please just say something".

"Because ultimately, if you don't and they get behind the wheel of a car, look what's happened in my case: my dad should still be here and he's not and there's no reason for that," she said.

Mrs Damen would like free mandatory eyes tests "whenever you renew your licence".

She added: "How can a decision to drive a car which can cause fatalities, which is obviously your worst case scenario, be a choice?"

Department for Transport (DfT) data shows increased casualty rates for both older and younger drivers.

Older drivers, defined as those aged 70 and over, made up 21% of car driver fatalities in 2021. Younger drivers, aged 17-24, made up 16%.

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: "Our view, and the research backs up the notion, is that age is a pretty rotten proxy for ability to drive.

"As we get older, our reaction time slows down. But we tend to make up for that, because we have greater experience.

"Most of us will get to the point where actually it is time for us to hang up the keys. But judging that is quite hard."

She said many older people "value their bus pass. But of course it's only any good if there's a bus to take".

In February, BBC analysis of DfT data suggested Britain's local bus network shrank by an estimated 14%.

Pat Colquhoun's son Neil, from Hook, Hampshire, was crashed into by an elderly man driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway

DVLA data shows, as of 13 May, there were 6,023,173 people aged 70 and over who hold full driving licences in Great Britain.

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

There are almost 2.5 million people aged 17-24 who hold full licences.

Professor Charles Musselwhite published a paper that found older drivers are not more dangerous. He said they are over represented in collision data due to frailty.

Prof Musselwhite said younger drivers, particularly males aged 17-21, were "the most overrepresented in collisions."

Becky Guy, road safety manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said younger drivers were at more risk in their first 1,000 miles, "and that can be due to inexperience".

'Isolated'

Prof Musselwhite said those who planned their retirement from driving were able to hang up their keys more successfully.

"They've got friends and family and neighbours sometimes to help them do the driving," he said.

"But those who left it far too late are at risk of feeling very isolated, really not being able to fulfil their lives through the journeys that they'd once done."

He said it was "probably a good idea" to introduce "a driving test or some kind of cognitive test or a medical test".

In 2011, Neil Colquhoun died when his car was hit by an elderly man driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway.

His mother Pat Colquhoun said: "He was 27, whole life in front of him, taken away by a stubborn old man who wouldn't listen to his family.

"It just seems madness to me that a gentleman with such poor eyesight was allowed to drive."

'Renew their licence'

Rob Heard, chairman of the Older Drivers Forum, said those thinking of having that "difficult conversation" with a loved one should consider who is the best person to speak to them, when is the right time, and what steps can be taken together.

Ms Guy added: "The first thing that anyone should do if they're concerned about their driving for a medical reason is visit their GP straight away."

She said "simple assessments" can help drivers find areas where they can improve, while driving mobility centres can "advise on how people can continue to drive safely, perhaps with adaptations to their vehicle".

A DfT spokesperson said: "All drivers are already required to ensure they are medically fit to drive, and all car drivers over 70 must renew their licence every three years. We have no plans to change the requirements for older drivers."

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