Elderly Driver’s 10km Radius Proposal
July 26, 2007 by George Skentzos
The RTA have proposed a new set of laws which could see driver’s above the age of 85 limited to driving within a 10km radius of their homes.
For driver’s over the age of 85 they would be required to successfully complete a driving test – similar to the current provisional test – in order to have the distance restrictions lifted. Current laws require annual medical tests from age 80 onward, the new rules would reduce this age to 75. Rural elderly driver’s would be limited to driving within their home town instead of the 10km radius which would not be appropriate.
The statistics show that older driver’s are far more likely to be involved in serious accidents, especially when driving in unfamiliar areas. It also says one in nine people between the ages of 80 and 84 experience some form of dementia.
The unfortunate result of current laws is the crushing blow it has on elderly driver’s, as one of their few remaining freedoms the loss of their driver’s license could be devastating emotionally. The RTA have said that these new laws would provide a progressive structure that would ease older drivers out of driving.
The Combined Superannuants and Pensioners Association policy co-ordinator, Paul Versteege has condemned the plan
“It is an automatic trigger to disqualify people from driving. For most people at 85 who are still driving, [10 kilometres] would not be sufficient, I know people over 85 who regularly take their car and caravan out into the country.”
I for one tend to agree with these new laws, the finger has been pointed at P-plater’s for far too long. The number of times I have personally almost had an incident with an elderly driver at fault is far greater than any P-plate menace I have ever had to deal with.
The idea behind these new laws is not to stop elderly driver’s from driving but instead restrict them to familiar areas which should greatly reduce the number of accidents with an elderly driver behind the wheel.
George Skentzos
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I totally agree…when i was 17 i had an elderly couple fail to give way at an intersection with traffic lights, totalled my parents car.
Just after the accident the attitude i recieved from some onlookers suggested i was in the wrong, even his own insurance company at the time hinted to my father that he was too old to be driving.
Since then i have seen many older drivers make silly manuovures and mis-judged actions.
Yes society focuses on p-platers, now it’s time to focus on people who are getting too old to be operating a motor vehicle safetly.
Well said Adam, I couldn’t agree more. Some old drivers are just bloody dangerous behind the wheel.
This idea is flawed from the onset. Some older drivers can’t and shouldn’t drive within their own driveway let alone a 10km radius. Whereas some are safer than you or I.
How about a more sensible approach, like re-testing old drivers every five or so years and having their doctor sign a form of competancy?
Not all old drivers are bad drivers and we shouldn’t pigeon hole them this way. But at least the problem is finally being recognised.
Yawn.
The old blame the young, the young blame the old.
Most people are unable to see a big picture, preferring to use their own single experience as the answer to all problems.
An example of what I mean – Australia is wealthy, its coffers bulging at the seams so much that Governments don’t know how to spend all the money. But more individuals are going bankrupt than ever before.
If you ask someone who has just gone bankrupt how to manage money, you’d be a fool. You’d be looking at a micro view to solve a problem which doesn’t exist at the macro level.
So to base a macro decision on Adam’s micro view would be just as foolish.
Now before you all cane me, I AM NOT slanging Adam, just pointing out that his experience is but a tiny part of the large picture.
[mini_rant]
hmmm… an interesting idea but I honestly feel it’s a step towards addressing what is a real issue on our roads.
It’s hard to count the number of times I’ve had or witnessed a near miss with an elderly driver and its’s always one of a select few reasons:
- Turning in front of oncoming traffic;
- Wondering into another lane;
- Reversing or just driving (out of driveways) without so much as looking.
[/mini_rant]
If we were all re-tested every 5 years, it would make us all think about our driving habits.
Ok, maybe we have to explain minute points in order for some to understand the whole picture?
I’m not using my experience to ‘bash’ or ‘pigeon hole’ older drivers…I’m simply pointing out that the focus was heavily placed upon younger inexperienced younger drivers…
Never before have we seen a deserved focus on older drivers, many take it for granted we gain our drivers license for the remainder of our lives, not thinking about the impact our age has on our driving skills overall. I don’t think this new system is the right answer, i agree that re-testing periodically is the way to go.
As Matt said, at least the problem has finally been adressed and thats the main point.
Reckless1…re-read my original comment, i didn’t say my ‘micro’ experience should be used to demonstrate the whole picture.
Older drivers cause more accidents than many realise and the problem will only worsen as our population as a proportion continues to age without an effective system in place to deal with this growing problem.
deathbypizza…
I would tend to agree that older drivers tend to fail in one major area, awareness and inattention.
As where younger drivers tend to speed.
The goverments main focus has always been ’speeding kills’ it’s easy to focus on offences that make money, rather than issues like , safer better designed roads, more police presence on the roads etc…that consume the budgets of our politicians.
Even having coppers with radar guns will stop someone speeding instantly as opposed to a fixed speeding camera hidden behind bushes that will not prevent someone spending on for the remainder of their jorney.
I agree with foggy
we all need to be retested every 5 years
and we all need todo one advanced driving course.. every 5 years.
Yep retesting for sure i have always thought this and always will i mean at what age does your license get taken off you?? Maybe after a fatal accident? thats the normal way things are done ” Oh he/she has killed someone i dont think he/she should be driving anymore” TOOO LATE DAMAGE DONE!
Alborz,
Wasn’t it the Qld Government that decided that advanced driving courses led to more accidents in the young, because they become even more overconfident than they already are?
I tend to agree that re-testing should occur more frequently but every 5 years is probably a bit too often. Perhaps a retest after 3 years on Ps in order to get off Ps, and then every 10 years until age 70, then every 5 years till 80. After that, I think doctors already have the power to decide if illness should cause a license to be suspended, but I’m not sure ’cause I’m not yet 80.
I have been driving for 40 years, had 2 write-offs (single vehicle, country, tired, speeding) before I was 20. Haven’t had a bumper scrape since then, not even banging a door into the next car in the carpark.
Now that is my micro contribution to the statistics of the big picture, which shows that accidents decrease with age until a certain point when they increase again.
That suggests that re-testing is overkill for the middle ages. Older drivers like me would fail the theory test without some swatting, but the practical test of accident avoidance is easily passed.
Old, Young, Mothers, Singles, Divorcees, Politicians, Non-citizens, Unemployed, Motorcyclists, Pedestrians, Lollipop People, Orphans, People with piercings or tattoos, Smokers, Anorexics, People with kids in the car, People with big cars, People with old cars.
All of them – get them all re-tested every 3 years, plus have a compulsory 1 day course.
In short – why not everyone? Training/testing is the biggest opportunity for consistent and safe driving.
Retesting everyone is pointless. Firstly you know they are going to charge people $70+ just to prove you are just as capable of driving as when you were 16.
Secondly, if you should fail then what? If a 32 year old business owner fails his test on a technicality like not waiting 3 seconds at a stop sign then what should happen? Should his driver’s license be revoked until he has 50 hours of supervised driving? Should he be able to redo the test a day later and pass because he now knows to wait 3 seconds? Should he sit a written exam?
It is pointless and impractical to retest everyone, especially when the testing methods are so flawed. Age is really the only consistent and logical factor to go by when considering retesting.
If retesting every 5 years was currently implemented you would complain about the cost and the fact that the testing method was so irrelevant.
The scariest thing on the road regardless of age I have seen was the driver texting & driving past a tram stop in Elizabeth St Melbourne recently.
Once the age of 45 is reached licenses should be conditional at the very least on a medical check from a GP.Some would resist even this. Would anyone be brave enough to get into a car driven by Keith Richard at any age?On a good day he might be OK.
An advanced driving courses combining defensive driving techniques/attitudes would be a step forward at any age.
Anyone got a recommend for Melbourne metro area?
David, the day you reached the advanced age of 45, you would bleat like a stuck pig at the stupidity of thinking a 45+ person is past it.
Hey all :)
First time posting! Woohoo !
A lot of good comments too.
One of the problems with older drivers and GP’s is that the GP is more than happy to let the older person continue to drive, even if they have medical conditions that mean they shouldn’t.
There was a fatal accident not far from me involving a police Rodeo on urgent duty (lights/siren). An elderly driver pulled out in front of the copper, collided and killed himself and his passenger. The copper was injured but survived.
The inquest revealed that the elderly driver had poor vision out of his right eye (the direction from which the cop car was travelling) and was practically deaf so he couldn’t hear the siren. Even the deceased drivers daughter said he shouldn’t have been driving but the doctor let him.
Okay, now I will put my flak jacket on. I used to be in the Highway Patrol (ducks for cover) and reported quite a few elderly drivers as unsafe on medical grounds however they just went to their local, friendly GP who they have been seeing for hundreds of years and the doctor proclaimed them fit to drive.
I do believe something needs to be done in regards to elderly drivers, but the RTA solution is not entirely practical unless the government steps up and provides better/dedicated public transportation.
While the idea of testing people regularly sounds great (although 5 years may be pushing it) I do feel that the tests are too easy to pass, be it P plates, or just keeping you licences we’re not testing what’s important a person’s ability to drive. If you really want to know how a person is able to drive you really need to test them on a track, in simulated emergency environments, test their alertness, test their reaction time. Unfortunately this wouldn’t fly if it was every 5 years (imagine the cost alone).
Although at the moment I’m wondering who would pass, the young are too reckless, the old are too senile and everyone else is on drugs… apparently: http://www.news.com.au/heralds.....61,00.html
Don’t a high percentage of accidents happen within 10km of home?
This is a good step forward. I like many others here was hit by an elderly driver, not major but he literally drove into the side of my car not checking his blindspot. Funny because like you Adam although not a crowd this guy tried to say I was in wrong because at the time I was on my red p’s, I told him where to shove it because I was no way in the wrong.
The issue I see is that younger and elderly drivers suffer different issues. Younger drivers crash because of overconfidence, making them do stupid things. It doesnt have alot to do with not being able to do basic things in their car, the tests make sure you can, its the higher order skills required in say an emergency situation which they find themselves in due to recklessness that they lack. Older drivers on the other hand dont have the basic skills, Im sure they have many years of experience but the senses you require to driver such as hearing and site are diminished. So when it comes to checking blindspots they either dont bother or dont have the vision to completely check it. Or when it comes to hazard perception they dont pick up things early enough. And even when it comes to just controlling their vehicle in some cases, on one hand you have younger drivers who feel invinsible and do whatever they want without fear of death etc while on the other hand you have elderly drivers who are shyting themselves when driving and go 30km/h below the limit or take corners at ridiculous speeds etc. There is also the issue of their brains being able to process lots of information, driving involves alot of this especially in traffic… elderly drivers cant quite keep up, overload and consequently cause a crash or do something stupid.
Reckless1,It wont be long before I am 45.I know that some of my peers are in apalling shape for their age due to lifestyle choices.It raises the likelihood of cardio-vascular,diabetes & intestinal disorders being contracted.
What,me?I’m too young,classic denial.
For those in this age group of 40+ it is common sense to see a GP once a year regardless of how you perceive your health but some won’t. An ex work colleague is grossly over weight,mobility is compromised,is a petrol head,thinks he is a great driver & has an onroad demeanor to match.At times being in the car with him was no fun.Everyone else including the trams was in the way.Age 40.
My proposal is not draconian.It is a simple process of saying he/she is mentally & physically OK to drive a car not run marathons.
I hear what GRUMPS is saying that the GP can be a weak link.It is a hard issue.A blanket ban is too harsh.
Five year testing is probably a good idea as long as pensioners can do it free of charge.
Great post, and I agree with Grumps. GP’s feel pressured to let the old codgers keep their licenses “to let them have their independence”. Mandatory reporting therefore has limited application, and doctor shopping will just get worse. Personally, I think they should sell their cars and get a taxi wherever they want ot go!
Now, 10km from home sounds fine, but when you consider that some old people have trouble getting out of their driveway without driving into a neighbours house, or that most live within 10km of a school or daycare, we need to think again.
I think over 60’s should resit the basic driver test, and provide a medical certificate of fitness to drive. The retest should be at their cost, and should be repeated every 5 years till 70, then annually after that. Sounds harsh, but the fact is by 70 most people have significantly higher risk of heart disease, vision problems and dementia, and by 80 they will have all these to a very significant level. They will almost all also be very frail physically, and have a reaction time that can be measured with a sundial.
Of course, as long as they can vote, no government will ever have the balls to protect the community from the scourge of the elderly driver…
When i’m 85 and cant hardly see or turn my head around, i’ll definately still want to drive you can guarantee that!
I had a laugh today, i was behind an older bloke who had his hazard lights on while he was driving, maybe that’s not a bad idea!
I agree with anyone who says retesting is a good idea, whether it’s every 5 years, 10 years, or what.
Everyone blames the young drivers on “bad driving habits”. I agree – a large number of young people DO have bad driving habits. But so do older people.
Many young people and instructors, even (been told this by one, myself), are under the opinion that “young people should drive so that they can pass their driving test. After that, drive how you want…”
I got my learners 3 months ago (have already done over 120 hours), and have already had four near misses, which everyone present agreed was not my fault. One was with a truck that merged into traffic on the motorway without looking. Normally, I would move into the right lane to let them in, but I was being overtaken at the time. A second was an elderly lady trying to do a u-turn at a major intersection (traffic lights), from the left hand side right-turn lane, without looking, at a light where there were no u-turns permitted anyway. I ended up barely avoiding it, and we ended up in a “T” formation, I couldn’t move until she did, and she just sat there mouthing off at me. Meanwhile, the lights changed and we ended up holding up most of the traffic.
I suppose the point I’m trying to make is that it’s not just young drivers causing the problem. Older people can be just as bad. Re-testing them would be a better idea than the “10km radius”.
The thing is that just as you get young people who continue to drive un-licenced un-registered un-insured because they know they will just receive a slap on the wrist or may even have to do community service {joke]
We will probably get a number of elderly drivers dioing the same thing
However if they’re thinking of such a plan what about the number of soccer mums and weekend warriors who do less than the average 20;000kms a year because due to their lack of driving experience or knowledge of road rules they are just as likely to cause an accident
As are the city dwellers who have very little experience on country roads but like to have weekend getaways to the country.. as the majority of people killed on country roads are from the major cities so they should also have a similar restriction forcing them to stay in the burbs
Hell why not just put a 20Km radius restriction on everyone because when you are in an unfamiliar area and don’t know where you are going you too are more likely to be in or cause an accident
well guys i just had an accident while towing my boat, the driver pulled out in front of us after not giving way to all lines of traffic he was 92 yo and clearly past his time …how do their familys let them keep driving
I am not quite sure when this sopposed proposal came about, but i have searched and searched for this 10km proposal on the RTA website, there is absolutely nothing that pertains to this. Please take this down if it is false information. I realize it has been about a year, but a proposal usually takes alot longer than that. I am doing a research paper and sites like this make it very confusing when looking for resourceful information.
warmly,
lexi