Older drivers should be banned from the roads is the opinion of almost 50 percent of Brits according to a new survey. As reported by the Express, the CarTakeBack.com and YouGov study found that respondents believe “older drivers don’t have fast enough reaction times.”
This was the most common reason why many Brits believe senior drivers above the age of 60 should be banned. A staggering 69 percent think older drivers should have to retake their driving test with the majority of people sharing the view that test retakes should occur between the ages of 71 and 75.
READ MORE: Sainsbury's announces change that affects every one of its UK petrol stations
Those in favour of a complete ban chose a much older age for this - 86-90 (10 percent) and older than 90 (14 percent). Younger adults between the ages of 18-24 thought the compulsory retest should come at a younger age.
More than 1 in 3 (37 percent) thought it should occur between 60 and 70, compared to just 13 percent of those aged 55+ who said the same. A spokesperson from road safety charity Brake told the Express that: “For older drivers, licence renewal at 70 prompts them to check and self-certify they are fit to drive but this process can be improved.
“The Government needs to look at how fitness to drive regulation can be more rigorously enforced, such as compulsory eyesight testing throughout a driver’s career, rather than simply expecting drivers to self-certify that they are fit to drive.”
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research, said: ”In reality, new drivers are the most at risk group and older drivers are among the safest. Statistics do however show that drivers over 85 do start to have more crashes as their faculties fade and their experience is no longer enough to compensate.
“Older drivers really value their independence and it may be that a tougher testing regime is an acceptable trade off to allow them to keep driving.”
