DVLA and Driving Mobility are discussing proposals to regulate elderly drivers
07 April 2021
The Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) and Driving Mobility are discussing the proposal of allowing those aged 70+ suffering from poor health the opportunity to continue driving during the daytime in their local area. We at Marshall Minibus leasing are always interested in measures intended to improve road safety and trust that you find this information useful.
The proposals are being discussed following the release of data which revealed an increase in the number of over-70s driving on UK roads.
A recent pilot scheme in Hampshire, offering elderly drivers who had been involved in a motor accident the opportunity to undertake a fitness-to-drive test rather than being prosecuted, also found that 30% of participants had health conditions of which they had not informed the DVLA.
Whilst UK driving licences expire when the driver turns 70, elderly drivers can still opt to renew their licence and there are currently 5,525,452 drivers aged 70 and older in the UK.
However, the DVLA and Driving Mobility are trying to find a solution to regulate this group of motorists, to reduce the risk posed by those with compromising medical conditions getting behind the wheel.
Under new proposals, over 70s would be required to inform the DVLA of any medical conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy or any condition which affects the eyes, and fit a tracking device to their vehicle – comparable to a black box.
In return, they would receive a ‘graduate driving licence’ and be allowed to continue to drive within a 20-to-30-mile radius of their home during daylight hours, meaning that they would still be able to visit local family members and do the weekly shop.
Chief executive of Driving Mobility Edward Trewhella told The Times, “A lot of older drivers stick within their own locality — they go to the shop, the doctor’s surgery, go and see a granddaughter down the road, probably on minor roads with which they are familiar.”
"This process would regularise that and make it legal for them to do so as long as they didn't take a trip outside of an area or outside of a time restriction."
AA president Edmund King told the Sunday Times that instead, medical professionals should be flagging elderly individuals to the DVLA who are not medically fit to drive. He said, “They are there to save lives and what better way to save lives than to prevent someone who you know is capable of killing through their own medical condition.”
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