Over a 100 and still driving!

How does the killing pedestrians figure for older drivers compare with that for younger people? I suspect the figures will turn out to be in older drivers favour.

Exactly! I had two aunts who both drove when they were in their 90s. They had never had an accident and one of them drove from near Sarasota up to Rhode Island and back every summer when she was in her late 70s - thousands of miles!

Age has nothing to do with it. DH had an assessment with a driving instructor last week. I am due one soon, to make sure that we are both fully capable of driving safely, including long journeys.

The instructor was amazed, when, at the end of the assesment, she asked his age, 78 to be precise. She had assumed from seeing him and his alertness when driving that he was considerably younger. In recent years he has qualified as a member of the Institute for Advanced Drivers.

How does the killing pedestrians figure for older drivers compare with that for younger people? I suspect the figures will turn out to be in older drivers favour.

There are bad drivers, good drivers, and dangerous drivers in every age group. If we really wanted to reduce deaths, it is the under 25 year olds, or even under 30 year olds who should be banned from driving, or possible keep new drivers off the road. Most accidents happen in the first 5 years of a drivers driving career.

I know a lady who has had her license removed because she is in the very early stages of dementia. She is devastated because there is very little public transport here and it means she has to move from her house into special accomodation. She really isn’t ready for that, she is still active and runs a book group . She is now suffering from depression which is quite understandable in the circumstances, given that her husband died just over a year ago too.

It's easy, when 30-odd years younger than them, to wonder if 100-year-olds should be driving. It's very dependent on the individual and the circumstances. If we were in their position, what would our decision be?

Several people in my village have given up driving for health reasons as they've got older. However they are now marooned. They depend on friends and family (often not local) to get them to medical appointments or to do their shopping (that which can't be done online). Matching appointments with the infrequent bus service is impossible. Getting a taxi is difficult and astronomically expensive. What choice to they have but to keep driving, albeit locally on roads they know?

On two separate occasions in the last few year's here elderly drivers have knocked down and killed pedestrians. It was not publicised how their mental health was at the time.
There should be some sort of re test when reaching a certain age. It’s all very well being independent but at the cost of others lives it’s not acceptable.

A diagnosis of dementia doesn't mean a person is unfit to drive. The person's doctor makes an assessment on behalf of the dvla.

I know of people who continued to drive after a diagnosis of dementia. It does strike me that there's a time to start using Uber.