There are millions of motorists on the roads in the UK but did you know how many people aged 100 years and over are permitted to drive? There are actually 191 people in that age group that have permission to drive their cars – a surprisingly high figure don’t you think?
There are an increasing number of older drivers on our roads in the UK
When you get to age 70 in the UK you have to apply to renew your driving license at which time you must declare that you are fit to drive. You must go through this process every three years but, interestingly, you do not need to have a medical or take a driving test again. This means that the onus is on you to be happy that you are capable of driving.
In the UK the oldest person that is permitted to drive is a lady who is 107 years of age and the oldest gentleman is 106 years of age. It is also interesting to note that there are 4,018,900 motorists 70 years of age and over that have driving licenses in this country – in November 2012 that figure stood at 3.9 million.
Back in 2010, the government estimated that around 10 million people in the UK would live to 100 – that is about 17% of the population.
On that basis, as people appear to be living longer, presumably we will see more people on out roads over the age of 100? What are your thoughts on this?
For instance, should the government not introduce a system whereby it becomes compulsory for people of a certain age to have a medical and take another driving test?
As a general rule, the older motorist is less likely to have an accident but does their not come a point when the reverse applies as when you get to a certain age perhaps your reaction time lengthens?
What about the car insurance companies – how do they view the risk? There does come a point when a car insurance provider starts to charge a higher car insurance premium based upon the older a driver is. Therefore, they are obviously aware of the increased risk.
We would welcome your comments.
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