Half of British people would back a ban older drivers, according to a new survey. The shock new YouGov poll, carried out for CarTakeBack takes aim at older motorists in the wake of the Prince Philip car accident. More than half of people want the legal deriving age raised and two-thirds want compulsory retesting when a driver reaches a certain age. Over two thirds (69 per cent) think that drivers over 60 should have to re-sit their test.
However, half surveyed (49 per cent) believe that when drivers hit this age they should have their licence revoked.
The reason that drivers backed a ban or more restrictions on older drivers is based on a number of reasons.
They include concerns that older drivers had slower reactions (71 per cent), bad eyesight (47 per cent), drove too slowly and caused congestion (33 per cent).
A further quarter (26 per cent) also believe that older drivers have forgotten the rules of the road, which is an additional risk.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s director of policy and research, said: “Not surprisingly, the survey shows that many people blame the old and the young for crashes when this is not always the case.
“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.
“The clear message from the survey is that there is strong support for change and that must be harnessed to inform a new national debate about the best way to keep older drivers safer for longer and to give new drivers the experience they need for a lifetime of safe driving on the road.
“This debate cannot be delayed much longer as the demographic time bomb of an ageing population is ticking right now.”
It’s not only older drivers that were targeted in the survey as over a third (37 per cent) believe that the minimum learner driving age to 18 while a further 11 per cent want to see the age raised to 21.
The reason for this is because people believe that younger drivers take more risk (66 per cent)and over half (56 per cent) suggest they aren’t mature enough to be trusted.
A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake added: “These are certainly some interesting findings that add to the debate about the most effective ways of ensuring the safety of our younger and older drivers.
“It is essential to have robust procedures in place that ensure younger and older drivers are not inadvertently putting themselves and others at risk.
“A dangerous combination of inexperience and over-confidence makes younger drivers a high road safety risk, which is why we are calling for the introduction of a comprehensive Graduated Driver Licensing system in the UK.
“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.”
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