How to help elderly relatives if they're unfit to drive

Elderly drivers can be an unwitting danger to themselves and others, but should you voice doubts about a loved one's fitness to drive if it means they could lose their independence? 

 

 

There is no obligatory test or medical to check a driver's ability to be safe 

By Jill Sinclair

Many of us have an elderly relative or neighbour whose driving is giving cause for concern, but what are we meant to do – apart from offering lifts and extolling the virtues of their free bus pass?

Legally, there is no age at which any of us must stop driving. The onus is on the driver to decide when he or she can no longer cope. Ageing affects us all differently, and there will always be young drivers who are far more of a hazard than someone in their 80s.

Statistics bear this out. According to the Association of British Insurers, people over 70 are half as likely to be involved in accidents as 18- to 20-year-olds. Partly because older people will often choose not to drive at night or in bad weather and may only go on short, familiar journeys. So that's OK, then.

But it doesn't help if, like me, you've been asked to show an aged neighbour how to use the new satnav she's just been given.

To be fair, we couldn't have done much damage in the short trip from her home to the local park. We were going too slowly. But the combination of the neighbour looking at the satnav rather than the road and that imperious voice sending us an unfamiliar way was horribly nerve-racking. The outing was nevertheless deemed a great success and my neighbour announced her next trip: to visit a friend living six miles away along a new stretch of motorway. I quickly changed the satnav settings to send her on the scenic route and I asked if she wouldn't prefer me to drive her. But no.

From the age of 70 all drivers must renew their licence every three years. But there is no practical test and no medical. Just a form to say that we think we are still safe to drive. Given that the ageing process is as stealthy as a cat, how are we to know?

The DVLA has an A-Z of illnesses – some age-related, some not – which you "may" have to tell it about or that you "must" tell it about. Failure to declare a medical condition can result in a £1,000 fine and prosecution if you are involved in an accident. Assuming you are still alive after the crash to pay. Run of the mill age-associated decline – loss of hearing, reduced flexibility, the fact that it takes over-50s about eight times longer than a 16-year-old to regain normal vision after exposure to bright light – doesn't automatically mean we shouldn't be driving but will, in the end, make us less aware, less able to react quickly, less reliable.

Ultimately only a GP, an optician or the police can actually stop us from driving. Optician appointments are not mandatory; your GP may not volunteer an opinion – perhaps because they assume an elderly driver has already given up, or perhaps they have never been asked. The police will only stop someone if an offence has been committed or they happen to see someone driving erratically. Which leaves family and friends best placed to monitor our driving.

Anyone can tell the DVLA if they think someone is not fit to drive – regardless of the driver's age. The DVLA will then ask its Drivers Medical Group to carry out an investigation, contacting the driver's GP if necessary. Unlike visits to the optician, if you ignore its letter you will have your licence revoked immediately for non-compliance.

I'm not sure that I will contact the DVLA about my neighbour. I'd say she's borderline. But I have to hope that, along with most other people, I'm not just waiting for an accident to happen.

(as reported by The Telegraph)

Woman photographed driving ten miles along the M1 at 70mph while reading BOOK

• Woman was flicking through pages of a book on busy stretch of the M1
• The Nissan Micra driver was going at up to 70mph through Leicestershire
• Motorists waved at her to stop but she smiled, waved back, then carried on
• Police describe act as 'irresponsible and dangerous' and will use image as intelligence
• Road safety campaigners call for increase in fines for 'multi-tasking' drivers

Risking lives on one of the busiest motorways in Britain, this woman was spotted casually reading a book at the wheel of her car - while driving at up to 70mph.

The driver was travelling alone along the M1 in Leicestershie with the book spread across her steering wheel - and even carried on turning pages when other motorists were frantically waving at her to stop.

Road safety campaigners have called the pictures 'shocking' while police described the behaviour as 'irresponsible and dangerous'.

A real page turner: This driver was pictured reading her book at the wheel while travelling at 70mph along the M1 motorway

Builder Andrew Stonham was heading home on the M1 in Leicestershire when he spotted the reckless act.

He first saw her at junction 25 - and continued alongside the blue Nissan Micra until junction 27 ten miles away.

Mr Stonham, 28, who was the passenger in a workmate’s vehicle, said: 'We saw her about 200 yards back and my friend said he thought something was up.

'We caught up with her but we were struggling to keep up in the central lane. It’s not even like she was in the slow lane.

 

'We were beeping at her and I was waving at her out of the window. She finally looked over, smiled and waved before carrying on as normal.'

Mr Stonham, from Kirkby, Nottinghamshire, took a mobile phone picture of the woman from the passenger seat of the vehicle he was in last Wednesday between 3.30pm and 4pm.

The father-of-three noticed other drivers flashing their lights at her and witnessed her continuing to read until he and his colleague pulled off the motorway at Junction 27.

'We’re on the motorway all the time and we see people eating or putting on make-up, stuff like that, but this was unbelievable,' he added.

The woman was seen driving ten miles along the M1 through Leicestershire from junction 25 to junction 27, as indicated in red on the map

The woman carried on turning pages even when other motorists started beeping and waving their arms at her

'I would like the police to try and attempt to track her down if possible, because she needs to be told that this behaviour is not acceptable and can result in death.

'The road was busy at the time and she could have quite have easily have ploughed into the back of somebody. I have no idea what she was thinking.

'She even acknowledged we were there but just seemed oblivious to the fact that she was doing anything wrong. It was crazy'

James McLoughlin, spokesperson for road safety charity Brake, called the image 'shocking'.

'At Brake, we work with many families who have lost loved ones and had their lives torn apart because someone decided to multi-task at wheel.

'We're calling on government to increase fines and make traffic policing a national priority to deter risky, multi-tasking drivers.

'We urge all drivers to save any other activities until they're safely out of the car.'

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: 'This behaviour is clearly irresponsible and dangerous and if witnessed by police we will act accordingly and seek to prosecute the driver.

'Any images taken by a third party member of the public and provided to police will be treated as intelligence.'

'Smartest' British drivers revealed

Research found youngsters in the north of England are the nation's smartest young drivers, but overall older drivers reign supreme on the road.

 

Drivers aged 50-65 from the Midlands have been judged to be Britain's "smartest" - displaying the most fuel efficient and safe driving behaviours - while people aged 18-30 from Wales and the South West are more like driving dunces, new research claims.
Youngsters in the north of England are the nation's smartest young drivers, but overall older drivers reign supreme on the road.

The Shell FuelSave Smarter Driving research ranked young (aged 18-30) and older motorists (aged 50-65) on their 'smart' and 'not-smart' driving behaviours towards fuel efficiency and safety - everything from smooth driving to wearing appropriate footwear behind the wheel.
More than half (57%) of young motorists believe they are better drivers than anyone else on the road, but almost two thirds admit to driving with one or no hands on the wheel (59%) and accelerating through amber lights (56%), compared to a third of older drivers (34% and 32%).
Almost twice as many young motorists also wear inappropriate footwear while driving. Furthermore, a third of young drivers (33%) confessed to using their mobile behind the wheel, as opposed to just 5% of their older counterparts.

Older drivers are also more fuel efficient, making a conscious effort to drive smoothly (82% compared to 57% of young people), turn off the engine when idling (51% compared to 37% of young people), and remove excess weight from the boot (49% compared to 36% of young people).
The research results have been released as University College London (UCL) students prepare for Shell Eco-marathon Europe - an annual competition challenging student teams to compete in ultra-energy-efficient vehicles they have designed and built themselves, which hits the streets of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from 15-18 May 2014.

Young drivers 'feel invulnerable'

More than seven in 10 young drivers think they are better than the average driver, according to a survey.

More than seven in 10 young drivers think they are better than the average driver despite the age group being 2.5 times more likely to be involved in a serious crash, according to a survey by Vision Critical and road safety charity the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The IAM said that the average of 71% reveals a perceived "invulnerability" in young people that is not reflected in the real world.
Britain's most confident young drivers are in Northern Ireland where an astonishing 87% think they are better than average.

The facts tell a different story, with young drivers making up 26% of those involved in crashes.
Britain's 'least' confident young drivers are from Wales where a still-surprising 56% think they are better than average.

The gender gap is not as wide as some might expect, though, with 75% of young men believing that they are more competent than average drivers, compared with 68% of young women.
Contrary to the confidence of younger drivers, official figures show that while only 8% of drivers are under 25, they account for 22% of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes. They also drive, on average, about half the distance of older drivers each year.

Nearly a quarter of all car drivers (133 out of 542) who died in 2012 were young drivers themselves.
IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "A year ago the Government committed itself to producing a green paper to tackle the safety of young drivers which has yet to be published.

"Our whole system of learning to drive must be overhauled to provide safe exposure to a wider range of traffic situations, but also the chance to discuss attitudes and risks.
"New drivers feel invulnerable and it is the job of government, training providers, insurers, charities and parents and carers to ensure they have the best training to reduce risk to themselves and others."

Man driving since age of 9 had failed 56 times to fill in UK licence application

A MAN who claimed he has been driving since the age of nine told magistrates in Swansea he had applied for a British driving licence 56 times — but had never been able to successfully complete the paperwork.

Salim Sheikh Khalid Saeed, aged 23, appeared in court and admitted he had crashed a car he was driving without insurance, a licence and without permission.

He also admitted failing to stop when asked to do so by a police officer.
Saeed told probation officer Sharon Griffiths he was a good driver, but had not managed to obtain a driving licence in this country because he had not been able to provide the correct paperwork.

The offences all took place on March 18 while he was driving on Mumbles Road in Swansea.
Mrs Griffiths told the court he told her he had taken his friend's car so he could go out for dinner.
He said he had not realised police were asking him to stop the vehicle because officers were travelling in the opposite direction and had continued driving, but stopped when he reversed into a pillar, damaging the car.

Mrs Griffiths said Saeed, who did not grow up in the UK, "lacks understanding about requirements of driving in our country."
Saeed received a 12 month community order and was told to complete 80 hours work and a "Vehicle Crime" course.
He also received eight penalty points and has to pay costs and a surcharge.