Ageing drivers are still safe at 70, says new report

14 May 2010

The 3.7 million drivers born before World War Two are amongst the safest people on the UK’s roads, and forcing them to take compulsory retests will limit their mobility, be hard to police and do little to reduce accidents, according to a new report.

Instead, public debate needs to focus on older drivers’ opportunities to self-regulate rather than on stressful retesting or licensing restrictions.

Ageing drivers do not have more accidents than the rest of the driving population - in fact their safety record is better than that of many young drivers - though their frailty means that when they are involved in collisions they are more likely to be killed or seriously injured.

Only when motorists reach 80, and/or do very limited mileage, does the ageing process and infrequent driving increase their risk.

They are the key findings in the RAC Foundation report‘ Maintaining Safe Mobility for the Ageing Population’.• By 2023 it is predicted almost a quarter of the population will be over 65.