Older drivers face higher accident risks, a UK study has found. Urgent measures are needed especially as the population will continue to age at a faster rate.
Like it or not, we all get old and, with time, our driving abilities decay. This might not seem a problem at first but, with people living a longer active life, the number of older drivers is set to explode. This means that more and more drivers will have diminished reflexes and eyesight, which is not an ideal situation on the road.
According to a government-funded report from the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) in the UK, fatal car accidents involving drivers aged 70 to 79 are expected to rise by 40% over the next 20 years. This is why the RSF has proposed measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries for drivers aged 70 and over. The goal is to cut those by 50% before 2030, with a longer-term goal of zero deaths by 2050.
Among the measures proposed is eyesight testing for older drivers when they apply for renewing their driving license, standardized training and appraising for the older motorists, as well as more in-depth research into the impact of medical conditions on driving. Many countries around the world already have in place such measures
UK experts even think of extreme measures, like reconfiguring T-junctions to make them safer. It was noted that junctions with sharp angles can prove difficult for drivers with restricted neck movement, so they need to be made easier to negotiate. Also, British authorities think of an alternative to the prosecution of elderly drivers for careless driving.
Recently, South Korea announced similar measures to tackle the same problem that affects all the developed countries of the world. Being a more tech-savvy country, Korea will introduce an AI-assisted VR simulator to assess the driving behavior of older people. According to Korean police statistics, the number of seniors holding a driver’s license has increased by 300% between 2008 and 2018 (from 1 million to 3 million).
According to a government-funded report from the Road Safety Foundation (RSF) in the UK, fatal car accidents involving drivers aged 70 to 79 are expected to rise by 40% over the next 20 years. This is why the RSF has proposed measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries for drivers aged 70 and over. The goal is to cut those by 50% before 2030, with a longer-term goal of zero deaths by 2050.
Among the measures proposed is eyesight testing for older drivers when they apply for renewing their driving license, standardized training and appraising for the older motorists, as well as more in-depth research into the impact of medical conditions on driving. Many countries around the world already have in place such measures
UK experts even think of extreme measures, like reconfiguring T-junctions to make them safer. It was noted that junctions with sharp angles can prove difficult for drivers with restricted neck movement, so they need to be made easier to negotiate. Also, British authorities think of an alternative to the prosecution of elderly drivers for careless driving.
Recently, South Korea announced similar measures to tackle the same problem that affects all the developed countries of the world. Being a more tech-savvy country, Korea will introduce an AI-assisted VR simulator to assess the driving behavior of older people. According to Korean police statistics, the number of seniors holding a driver’s license has increased by 300% between 2008 and 2018 (from 1 million to 3 million).