More than three quarters of motorists believe drivers over 70 should take regular mandatory ‘fit to drive’ tests in order to keep their licence, according to the latest research on driver attitudes to other road users from Forbes Advisor.
More than half of road users thought all drivers should have to surrender their licence altogether - regardless of their health and fitness - when they hit advanced age, with most believing it should happen at some point in a person’s early 80s.
Asked whether drivers aged 70 and over should face mandatory health and fitness checks in order to keep their licence, 77% of people said yes, with even 62% of respondents over 70 saying they were in favour of being tested.
Currently, drivers over 70 have to renew their licence every three years but do not face any mandatory health or fitness tests to do so.
It’s estimated that 75% of all adults in the UK aged 70 and above hold a full driving licence*, up from 59% in 2012 and from just 45% in 2002.
With more older motorists on the road than ever before, the car insurance comparison experts Forbes Advisor conducted the survey to discover the perceptions and attitudes towards them from other drivers.
It found older drivers consider themselves among the safest on the roads - despite research showing the frequency and average value of insurance claims climbs among motorists when they reach their 70s, and only 18-20 year-olds have a higher average claim figure than those aged over 80.
Kevin Pratt, car insurance spokesperson at Forbes Advisor, said: “The UK’s roads are getting more crowded, with improved longevity playing its part as drivers stay behind the wheel for longer. But how do we manage the potential problem of having an increasing number of drivers with declining faculties and health problems that might impair their driving ability and lead to accidents?
“Many older drivers will tell you that their experience and cool-headedness make them safer drivers in the same way that inexperience and exuberance can make those under 25 a riskier proposition. But others will argue that a mandatory health test for those above a certain age makes sense, as only those that fail will be affected, with wider benefits for road-users generally.
“Should there be a blanket requirement to surrender your licence when you reach, say, 85? That seems draconian, given that there are bad drivers and good drivers at every age. But the government will need to confront the issue at some point given the demographic factors that are slowly but surely putting more elderly drivers on the road.”
