Study : SENIOR DRIVING

“THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN HAVING STRICTER RULES AND LESS TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS“. Professor Richard Tay.

La Trobe University’s Chair of Road Safety Management argues increasing
mandatory testing and licensing requirements for ageing drivers is not necessary.

SENIOR DRIVING, A recent study by Professor Richard Tay examines the re-testing and
licensing requirements in five Canadian provinces and their respective vehicle
collision rates for ageing drivers.

‘As the population in most developed countries continues to age, there is an
increasing concern about its effect on traffic safety, resulting in calls to
tighten the licensing renewal policies for mature drivers,’ says Professor Tay.

‘Common perceptions is that ageing drivers cause more crashes on the road
however there is no concrete evidence to support this,’ says Professor Tay.

The research aimed to find whether provinces with stricter licensing policies
for ageing drivers have lower rates of traffic accidents.

‘From our results we found that ageing drivers did not cause more fatal crashes –
partly due to the fact they self-regulate; driving less and are not driving as fast.

‘We did however find that there was an increase in injuries from low speed
crashes, as most ageing drivers are more fragile and thus more likely to suffer
from minor injuries,’ says Professor Tay.

Professor Tay carried out a similar study in Australia in 2005, which found
also, that the increase in the number of ageing drivers licensed had no
significant effect on the number of fatal crashes.

‘From looking at the licensing practices in the several provinces across Canada
we found there is no correlation between having stricter rules and less traffic
accidents,’ says Professor Tay.

‘This was just a small part of the overall research we plan to carry out on
ageing drivers, we also need to look more in depth in to the accuracy of these
tests.’

The research was funding by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
of Canada (SSHRC) and The Alberta Motor Association (AMA).

The findings were published in Cambridge Journals, Ageing & Society
(Ageing driver licensing requirements and traffic safety. Ageing & Society, 2012; 32:655-672).

11/11/20