Seniors groups have labelled a high-ranking New South Wales police officer’s claims that people over 70 should not drive as “incomprehensible”.
Officer John Hartley, NSW police’s head of traffic, said that older drivers should stay off the road, after citing an 20 per cent increase in the number of seniors killed in traffic accidents.
Officer Hartley said the issues older motorists presented on the road included difficulty staying centred in a lane, going through red lights or stop signs, and backing into and over objects.
“It is these issues that put older drivers, their passengers, and other road users at great risk,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
Seniors group the Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association (CPSA) have not been pleased with the comments.
CPSA’s policy officer Paul Versteege told The Guardian that Hartley’s comments were discriminatory against drivers who already faced more hurdles than younger drivers, including medical and licence testing.
“It’s not just a simple question of whether they are more dangerous, it comes down to driving ability,” he said.
“It’s incomprehensible that [assistant commissioner] Hartley would use the age of 70 as the age where people need to be very cautious. We would argue that any age is an age to be cautious.”
Drivers over the age of 70 accounted for 22 per cent of road fatalities, but made up only 11% of the population, statistics from the NSW centre for road safety show.
But Versteege put the statistics down to older drivers being more vulnerable in a crash than younger counterparts.
“Older people are more likely to be seriously injured or killed because they become more frail, not because they are worse drivers,” he said.
Drivers over 75 in NSW must undergo annual medical testing, and those still driving over 85 are required to sit licence tests every two years. NSW is the only state where such tests are mandatory.
This is on top of regular licence disqualification programs, including reporting medical conditions that may impair driving.
“It’s an over the top triple whammy of [demerit] points, obligations to notify and then the older driver testing … It’s a draconian regime,” Versteege said.
How do you feel about Officer Hartley’s comments? Have you ever been a victim of a traffic accident caused by an older driver? Is Mr Versteege right about it being discrimination?
We are expected to keep working to and beyond 70. Good enough to work good enough to drive. The cost of living to a ripe old age ?
I feel that particular police officer should look a bit closer at statistics especially at much younger drivers. I also hope when he reaches 70 he doesn’t drive, even if it isn’t law and see how he feels then. But I do feel when we get to a much older age maybe 75 or so we need to have some sort of medical check to see if it is safe for us to drive or not, not just for our sake but for others too
The real problem I see is that when one has an impairment like bad health, dementia or bad eyesight the Doctor sometimes a family friend or long term acquaintance doesn’t want to take away their licence thereby causing some of the instances quoted. I think that by 75 onwards Seniors should have a 5 minute test drive to see their competence. There is certainly no need to do a written test just a few minutes round the block would show driving skill.
Crazy suggestion by a police officer that clearly had lost touch with reality. 70 is the new 50 at least! If he has concerns why not set up some on line or face to face systems for more mature drivers to highlight some of the challenges he had identified and perhaps also apply similar to P Platers?
Officer Hartley should focus on drink and drug driving, which is rampant throughout Australia, rather than make discriminatory comments regarding older drivers who mostly are far more experienced than younger drivers. His comments regarding staying centred in lanes, going through red lights and stop signs, in my opinion relates more to those busy on mobile phones and being totally unaware of what’s going on around them.
You people just dont get it..I have wirked in the aged care system for 15yrs .Ive seen everything.There is alot going on in the senior years ..There is a tremendous amount of loss ranging from friends..mobility ..independence cognitive abilities..motor and physical changes ..medical issues etc As we age we lose balance and our reaction to things is alot slower as our reflectes are not the same.Hearing is not the same so therefore you canot hear other motorists beeping or ambulances..Eye sight and our judgement are considerably on the decline.From 70 yrs onwards I hope not to b driving..There are too many cars on the road now than years ago.Also most afed ppl are not strong..They are low on energy due to tablets etc I have seen all of it..They either do another test at 70yrs or be safe and get off the road.They are a hazard driving 40ks in 80 zones…
Maybe working in aged care has coloured your view of older Australians. No one should be making blanket statements about particular groups. We are all individuals with our own weaknesses and abilities…and that applies to every age group.
What about the person who Drinks and Drives and also is on Drugs? I think it’s unfair to target just Drivers 70 and over. Also the P Platers who drive mad on the roads.?
Officer Hartley’s comments are puzzling. He seems to be saying that because elderly people are more likely to be seriously injured or die than a younger person in the same accident that they ‘should stay off the road’. Does this mean they should all stay home or that they would be safer as passengers with a younger person with a ‘lead foot’, one of the many drivers of varying ages who seem never to have taken a license test or one of the huge number pulled over and testing positive for drugs?
Many of those who are bad elderly drivers were poor drivers throughout their life. Just as those young drivers who drive badly are likely to become bad elderly drivers.
I have experienced a trend that does warrant consideration. I doubt the Woolworths’ car park is a statistical anomaly. Widows who are driving for the first time in many years in a car purchased by their husbands who contrived to not allow them to drive. The two ladies I have met in the last three months followed my suggestion and arranged a few driving lessons and on my assessment as a road user (apparently their instructor agrees) are confident and competent drivers. An elderly gentleman was in similar strife with a high performance Holden that his family encouraged him to buy to replace his trusty Pulsar. Same suggestion same result. I would suggest this sort of issue could be picked up and more widely advertised. My three all arranged their lessons through the RSL who have a program for those going to license tests.
I would also suggest that registration and license cost etc be reduced for drivers who purchase the newer self parking models. I would expect that insurance costs would also be lower. It is worth noting that around the time a whole generation would be forced from the roads the self driving car will be on the market.
We need additional data on accidents involving senior drivers (is it a new car, are they still struggling with a manual vehicle, have they not been driving regularly etc) and then develop strategies to address the particular issues.
Reducing overall accidents isn’t best achieved by banning older drivers. This would be to achieved by requiring all males under the age of 25 to use bicycles. We would all agree that this would be a ridiculous suggestion as we all know responsible drivers in the age group and how would these people live a life in cities that assume we all drive cars.
I have a broken back and right shoulder due to an accident caused by a 77 year old driver.
He didn’t slow down and give way on a give way sign and was travelling too fast through it.
After the accident he said he didn’t know what happened and that he didn’t see me.
The 77 year old has a disability sticker on his car, wears glasses, uses a walking stick.
I do not understand why he is allowed on the road.
I agree with stringent testing for over 75, I’ve seen family members driving in an unsafe manner. Most of us know our limitations, I was unwell last year & stopped driving for 4 months, fine now I’m well again. Yes, still working, still driving at 70!