Accidents caused by the elderly often unleash passions, like the one Pauline Déroulède suffered in 2018, mowed down by a 92-year-old driver. Now a disabled tennis player, the French athlete is campaigning for the establishment of an aptitude test for older drivers.
Regularly, road accidents caused by senior drivers make headlines and revive the debate on the ability of older people to move freely in cars. As in other European countries (the Netherlands, Belgium, etc.), or for other categories of driving licence, should an exam be introduced?
An almost obvious link between age and accident
If we look at road safety figures, in an accident involving a person over 75, the latter is presumed to be responsible in 82% of cases. As such, the ability of these motorists to drive can be questioned. As you get older, your reflexes, hearing and sight diminish, all of which are qualities needed to drive safely, for yourself and for other users.
Once the exam has been passed, the driver’s license, both car and motorcycle, is acquired for life, with the exception of certain categories (C and D) or road professionals. Obviously, by establishing a medical examination from a certain age, we can legitimately assert that the measure would be beneficial to road safety and public health. But is the issue worth restricting the freedom of movement of our seniors?
Seniors, dangers of the road?
Often put forward, the over 65s seem particularly affected by road accidents, inflating the figures for road deaths. Despite this, the statistics show an over-representation of 18-35 year olds in fatal accidents, despite being in full possession of their faculties. Inexperience, overconfidence or deliberately transgressive behavior, young drivers are most at risk. However, there was never any question of limiting access to driving licenses to people over 25 or 35 only. Similarly, men are the most affected by road accidents although there has never been any question of imposing restrictions on them.
Beyond the limits of the human body, the elderly are also victims of their lack of knowledge of the highway code. After several years of driving, some bad habits become automatic and some rules are forgotten. A simple reminder of the highway code, whatever the age, could be beneficial in terms of road safety.
In addition, many seniors, pushed by their family or by their own conscience, give up driving. There is a lot of work to be done on all categories of drivers to reduce road fatality figures, and if restricting the renewal of the right to drive is a solution, we must not forget that seniors are not the only dangers. In addition, we must not give in to the ease of outright prohibition, and do not forget that the car is the only means of transport for many French people. It would therefore be wise to propose an alternative before imposing a renewal of the driving license on older motorists.