A change in the rules could see six million drivers having to retake their tests with ‘self-certification’ scrapped. Campaigners are calling for a change in the law after a number of fatal accidents.
Neil Colqhuhoun, 28, was killed when an 89-year-old driver turned the wrong way onto the A30 and drove south on the northbound carriageway at 60mph.
Neil’s mother Patricia told ITVdocumentary Older Drivers: Danger at the Wheel? the law needs to change. At the minute, drivers have to tell the DVLA at 70 that they are still safe to drive and then self-certify again every three years.
Patricia said: “The self-certification system should be done away with. it’s ridiculous. You don’t even have to have a doctor sign it.”
There are six million drivers in the UK between the ages of 71 and 100 and the oldest licence holder in the country is 108.
Patricia said: “When a driver reaches 70 all that he or she has to do is complete a form to say that they are medically fit and a driving licence is issued for another three years.Though I acknowledge that there are many safe elderly drivers on our roads there are some who are not, and families are sometimes too afraid to confront their elderly relatives as to their failing abilities.
“Through this lack of foresight my son, who had a wealth of friends and family who loved him dearly, and who had just started a new job with such high hopes and plans for the future, has been so cruelly robbed.”