Bolton Advanced Motorists

Driving Tips

We give you the Facts on the
IAM's Report on Older Drivers
 

On January 18th the IAM released a report they had commissioned on older drivers. However, reporting in some newspapers distorted what was a very positive story. The headline on the news release said: "Older drivers are the safest, says IAM". This was fairly reported in The Times and the Metro, however, the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail were less than helpful, with their headlines talking about a "ban on older drivers using fast roads". Sadly the majority of the TV/Radio airtime was given to this latter view. So that there can be no doubt as to what the press release actually said, it is produced below, in full, so that you can decide for yourselves which view was correct. "Older drivers are the safest, says IAM" Drivers over 70 are no more likely to cause crashes than any other driver, and are considerably safer than younger drivers, according to a report published today by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists).
Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research said: "The report contradicts the common assumption that older drivers are a danger on the roads. Just eight per cent of drivers are over 70 and they are involved in around four per cent of injury crashes. But 15 per cent of drivers are in their teens and 20s and they are involved in 34 per cent of injury crashes." Older people rely heavily on their cars, and the ability to drive gives many older people better mobility and access to more activities. Men in their eventies make more trips as car drivers than men in their late teens and 20s. Mr Greig added: "The IAM recommends that, rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we need to make them aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them cope with these risks."
Greg Lewis of Age Concern/Help the Aged said: "We believe that where drivers wish to continue behind the wheel beyond the age of 70, only convincing reasons should prevent them from doing so." Mr Lewis added: "An elderly person's risk of being killed or suffering a serious injury as a result of a road crash is between two and five times greater than that of a younger person because of their increased physical frailty."
Other key findings:
• In the next 20 years the number of male drivers over 70 will double, female drivers will treble.
• Drivers over 70 are safer on bends and overtaking than 50 year olds, but are more at risk at roundabouts, junctions and slip roads on high speed roads.
• In some traffic situations, older drivers are less likely to be in a crash because they tend to adopt a more careful and restrained driving style.
• No particular age was identified where there is sudden increase in crash involvement.
• Older drivers self regulate and take fewer trips on motorways, in poor light or wet weather, or at peak times.
• Drivers over 85 are four times more likely to have caused a crash than to have been an innocent victim of one.
• Crashes in which older women are to blame peak about five years earlier than those for older men.
The IAM strongly believes that there is no case for compulsory retesting of older drivers at an arbitrary age. More research is needed on the best age to renew driving licences and there needs to be a wider debate on the introduction of restricted licensing," said Mr Greig. IAM comment to Group members - This last paragraph is a reference to the idea of a conditional licence, which could be given as an alternative - on a case-by-case basis - to losing the licence all together. It would be an additional licence. The recommendation is to keep older drivers safer for longer, rather than have them give up driving all together.
 
Keep calm and carry on - How to
deal with a stuck accelerator
As Toyota recalls millions of its cars due to accelerator problems, the IAM offers the following advice on what to do in the event of an engineering malfunction.
It's important to note the following steps:
1. Stay calm; there's no reason to panic.
2. Press the brake pedal firmly with your right foot; you may need to press it much harder than usual.
3. In a manual car, depress the clutch fully and shift the car into neutral; in an automatic, shift the gear lever into neutral.
4. Identify a safe route to the side of the road ahead.
5. Turn on your hazard lights and steer smoothly to the safe area.
6. Only when you have come to a complete stop should you turn off the engine as it is likely the steering will lock.
Stephen Mead, IAM Assistant Chief Examiner, said: "Keep calm - surprisingly the perception of the average driver with a stuck accelerator is that they can't brake either, but this is a misconception brought on by panic.
"Press the brake firmly, then the clutch, disengaging the power. In an automatic, drivers should brake, wait for a reaction from the vehicle and then put the car into neutral," added Mr Mead. If the pedal remains jammed there will be a lot of noise from the engine revving, but Mr Mead says: "a stuck accelerator isn't actually the disaster it sounds."
Mr Mead recommended that owners of any vehicle subject to recall arranges for the work to be completed as soon as possible.
 
Added23-02-2010

 
 
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