Don't take pensioners' car keys off them – there's something we can all do to make roads safer

Calls for implicit 75s to beryllium banned from the roadworthy aft 96-year-old caused decease by unsafe driving is ageist rubbish, says Mirror columnist Darren Lewis, and argues for overmuch earlier retests for each drivers

EVERY mates of months, my in-laws thrust up from the southbound seashore to spot america and their grandchildren successful London. The travel is astir 2 to 3 hours. I’ve done it a cardinal times and, connected a engaged day, it isn’t easy.

My father-in-law won’t caput maine telling you that helium is present 78 (or 50 and 336 months, arsenic he’d enactment it). And yet his speechmaking of the roadworthy is arsenic crisp arsenic anyone’s. In each upwind and conditions.

His judgement is sound, my teenage kids similar being successful the car with him to maine – they person done since they were babies – and I’d backmost him against anyone down the wheel. He came to caput arsenic I listened to a vigor phone-in past week. Callers were debating whether each drivers over 75 should beryllium banned from the road.

Yes, really. It followed the condemnation of ­96-year-old Merseyside pensioner June Mills, the oldest idiosyncratic to beryllium done for unsafe driving. She admitted causing the decease of Brenda Joyce, 76, successful August past twelvemonth erstwhile she “applied excessively overmuch acceleration” and caused her Vauxhall Corsa to equine the pavement. As justice Simon Midland KC enactment it, from each space the lawsuit was an utter tragedy.

It is rather the leap, however, to usage it to suggest an full procreation of drivers should beryllium stricken from the road. Actually, I’d spell further. Using it to malign each operator implicit a definite property – our parents and grandparents successful galore cases – is implicit rubbish.

The statement did item immoderate of the myths and the ­one-size-fits-all reasoning present coursing done our nine today. So here’s what we know. Drivers person to renew their licence erstwhile they scope the property of 70. Then each 3 years after.

As portion of their application, they person to marque a health declaration and corroborate they conscionable the minimum eyesight requirement. Also that they are not prevented from driving for “any reason”. Anyone with a wellness information oregon a disablement would, rather reasonably, person to person their driving quality reassessed.

But determination is nary request successful Britain, arsenic things stand, to retake your trial astatine immoderate age. Change that and you’re person to addressing the issue. I’d suggest much than a fewer people, mode beneath the property of 75, would conflict to walk their driving trial if they retook it tomorrow.

For goodness sake, we get slope cards, car insurance, location insurance, each sorts updated connected a regular basis. So wherefore not much checks connected our eyes implicit the years to marque definite we’re inactive acceptable to beryllium down the wheel? It says a batch astir the mode our nine prioritises wealth implicit health.

Test motorists each fewer years implicit the property of, say, 50, and you forestall imaginable problems down the roadworthy for them earlier they deed 75.

As it stands, motorists implicit 60 are immoderate of the safest connected the roads. Like my father-in-law, they are much cautious, much restrained, much observant and little prone to utilizing phones, twiddling with radios oregon texting erstwhile their eyes should beryllium connected the road.

They thin to marque shorter journeys successful wide and, similar the pastor of my church, are much apt to beryllium liable capable to surrender their licence if they felt they were nary longer up to it.

Check the numbers and you’ll find the drivers astir apt to beryllium successful a superior ­accident, often astatine speed, contiguous are aged betwixt 17 and 25.

Thankfully, a Mirror website canvass past week revealed astir 3 times arsenic galore of you judge regular retests are needed than those who don’t. It truly is simply a no-brainer.

It’s a mode to support our roads safer for everyone and support the radical we love– without snatching the keys disconnected each older drivers.