Older Driver Rules 'could Have Saved Mum's Life'

Claire Eady believes that if nan rules for older drivers were different her mum would still beryllium present today.

Last summertime 79-year-old Geraldine Gibson died aft pulling retired into oncoming postulation adjacent her location successful Cornwall.

"I ne'er thought I would person to opportunity nan words 'my mum's been killed successful a car crash'," said Mrs Eady, who said regulations for drivers complete nan property of 70 were "unsafe and inadequate" and needed an overhaul.

At nan infinitesimal location is nary precocious property limit for driving successful nan UK, pinch astir 500 licence holders aged betwixt 100 and 108.

The authorities said it was committed to improving roadworthy safety.

Mrs Gibson was trying to transverse nan A30 astatine Plusha adjacent Launceston to meet a friend erstwhile she pulled into nan way of different car.

An inquest heard location was thing nan different driver, who suffered insignificant injuries, could person done to debar it.

National Highways told nan proceeding nan junction had since been altered aft different accidents but Mrs Eady, from West Sussex, said older property was "absolutely a factor" successful her mother's crash.

She learned her mother was struggling to manoeuvre beforehand and had a abstracted near-collision.

Mrs Eady said she believed arthritis and an earlier changeable whitethorn besides person affected her mum's driving.

"I don't deliberation my mum ever would person thought she needed to extremity driving because location were excessively galore things that depended connected her being retired successful a car," she said.

Drivers person a ineligible work to notify nan Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) of conditions affecting their fittingness to drive, but Mrs Eady said this felt insufficient.

"You can't really trust connected nan individual to do that... particularly if it's their only measurement of getting out," she added.

She said she would for illustration aesculapian professionals to beryllium legally required to notify authorities and for location to beryllium mandatory testing for those complete 70.

What are nan existent rules regarding older drivers?

• Drivers must renew their licence aged 70 and each 3 years thereafter
• There is nary precocious property limit for driving successful nan UK, pinch astir 500 licence holders aged betwixt 100 and 108
• Drivers person a ineligible work to self-declare aesculapian conditions that could impact driving to nan DVLA
• Guidance by nan DVLA states wellness professionals should pass nan agency if a diligent cannot aliases will not, but it is not a ineligible request

As nan UK organization ages, nan number of older drivers is besides increasing, pinch licence holders aged 70 and complete going up by astir 200,000 a year, according to nan DVLA.

Department of Transport statistic show older drivers dress up astir 14% of each licence holders but relationship for a 4th of those killed connected nan roads, and that group aged complete 75 and nether 25 are astatine highest consequence of being killed aliases earnestly wounded successful a crash.

Rob Heard from nan Older Drivers Forum, which supports motorists to proceed driving safely for longer, said nan "vast mostly of older drivers person a wealthiness of experience, assurance and tolerance".

But he added: "As we age, our comparative frailty intends that older drivers are often complete represented successful superior wounded collisions, peculiarly for nan property group of 80 and above."

Mr Heard said aged drivers were much apt to clang owed to unwellness aliases errors successful judgement, while accidents involving younger drivers were much apt done velocity aliases taking risks.

He said he supported mandatory referrals of aesculapian conditions by wellness professionals and advised concerned family members to promote mature driver assessments.

The BBC has had exclusive entree to a report, which said galore group were "unaware" of their ineligible responsibility to pass nan DVLA of definite aesculapian conditions and wellness professionals were "reluctant to" do so.

The research, prepared for a coroner successful April, showed little than 10% of DVLA notifications were made by aesculapian professionals and different 3rd parties.

The report's author, Dr Carol Hawley, investigation chap astatine nan University of Warwick, said nan strategy "does request to change".

She said her investigation suggested location was underreporting of ocular and aesculapian conditions "because location are not that galore notifications compared to nan number of driving licence holders and nan number of group that person those conditions".

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of nan Royal College of GPs, said nan assemblage would invited a much formalised attack "to guarantee that immoderate basal breaches of doctor-patient confidentiality are protected successful rule and debar undermining diligent trust".

The Association of Optometrists and The College of Optometrists said they "strongly support" nan preamble of regular mandatory imagination checks for each drivers and said nan existent strategy was "not fresh for purpose".

Elsewhere successful Cornwall, Hilary Nias said she "feels very strongly" that alteration is needed, pursuing her sister-in-law's fatal accident.

"It was a tragic extremity to a really absorbing life," she said, adding family had many times warned her that her driving was unsafe.

Jennifer Nias, 90, pulled retired onto nan A39 astatine Devoran and collapsed onto a roundabout erstwhile she mistook nan accelerator pedal for nan brake.

She died from her injuries 5 months later.

Mrs Nias said her sister-in-law could "only just" spot complete nan dashboard and was having problems pinch spatial awareness.

"That needed testing and assessing... it could perchance person avoided my sister-in-law's ghastly mishap - and galore others," she said.

Jennifer Nias applied for her driving licence to beryllium renewed wrong nan 3 years earlier her mishap and nary aesculapian conditions were declared.

Following her inquest Emma Hillson, adjunct coroner for Cornwall, wrote to nan Department of Transport and nan DVLA, highlighting nan deficiency of immoderate "requirement for location to beryllium immoderate shape of aesculapian cheque aliases appraisal to corroborate fittingness to drive".

Mrs Nias said she was "frankly depressed" by nan response, which did not propose immoderate changes to nan existent system.

There is simply a higher proportionality of elderly people successful nan South West of England than nan nationalist average, and immoderate present spot driving arsenic a lifeline.

In Bodmin, 130 older group meet play astatine nan municipality hallway astatine an Age Concern societal group. Some thrust to get there.

Widower Reg Harris, 85, said giving up driving would "absolutely crucify" his lifestyle.

Alvin Trevenna, 88, added: "I wouldn't beryllium capable to get anywhere, do anything... I'd conscionable arsenic good beryllium successful nan armchair and hold to die."

Drivers tin mention themselves for an older driving appraisal by Driving Mobility astatine a cost, but referrals from nan DVLA, constabulary aliases NHS are free.

The kindness said much than 10,000 group aged complete 70 successful England underwent 1 successful 2024 - 0.2% of drivers of that age.

The section roadworthy information business Vision Zero South West wants much nationalist consciousness arsenic good arsenic tighter regulation.

It said 176 drivers aged complete 60 were killed aliases earnestly injured connected Cornwall and Devon's roadworthy web successful 2024.

Chair Alison Hernandez said: "We want to protect people's lives because it is perfectly devastating erstwhile this happens to group and their families."

Asked what could beryllium done to support older drivers who felt they had nary prime but to transportation connected because nationalist carrier often was not bully capable successful agrarian areas, Hernandez said her agency was readying to tally a run "to amended older drivers connected really they tin beryllium astatine their champion down nan wheel".

The authorities told nan BBC nan DVLA was analysing findings from caller inquests, and from a 2023 telephone for grounds connected nan legislative model governing driver licensing for group pinch aesculapian conditions.

It said nan DVLA would proceed to prosecute pinch healthcare professionals and their regulatory bodies to understand if location whitethorn beryllium circumstances wherever they "could beryllium encouraged aliases supported successful notifying DVLA of a patient's aesculapian condition".

A Department for Transport spokesperson added: "The NHS recommends adults should person their eyes tested each 2 years and drivers are legally required to pass nan DVLA if they person a information which affects their expertise to drive.

"We are committed to improving roadworthy information and proceed to research ways to execute this."

Additional reporting by Lauren Woodhead, England Data Unit