Older drivers, yes or no?
This week I am addressing not only those who are approaching 80 years of age (and above) but also their families on the matter of the ability to remain officially licensed to drive a vehicle.
What has prompted me to draw your attention to this matter was my very recent re-test as I approach (next month) my 84th birthday. Now, like all my ageing peers, I consider myself to be fit, well sighted, in control of all my marbles. But in the eyes of the law, or especially in the degree of responsibility
Peter Carr
towards my fellow men, am I truly mentally and physically capable of charging around in a tonne-weight lump of steel in a manner that defensive driving courses consider to be acceptable?
I draw your attention to NZTA Fact Sheet number 57 written late 2023. Under the hearing ‘Senior Drivers – licence renewal’, all is revealed as to the need to take a suitable medically supervised test, pass it and what happens if you do not pass immediately but may need some further investigation.
At 80 and 82 (this testing happens every second year) I went through a very simple procedure with my GP. He is aware of my fallibilities – at least those that he can discover. But the responsibility for supervising the test has now fallen to a senior practice nurse at our local medical centre who put me through the wringer over a period of 30 minutes. The nurse used what is described as a cognitive test with a couple of minor medical checks (blood pressure and eyesight pus capability of a firm grip). I must make it clear that the nurse in charge of the testing was extremely thorough, fair and professional and I am well aware that had she failed me it would have been for very sound reasons.
I can understand why some people fail this test especially on repetitive memory samples but in no way does NZTA call for any remembrance or practical experience of the use of the road code. Witness the appalling way in which many Kiwis flout the rules pertaining to simple roundabout procedures.
Overseas driving test requirements for ‘oldies’ range from Finland (every three years after 45 and with two medical practitioners involved) – through to the UK and parts of Australia where all you must do is declare if you feel troubled. Several EU countries have no tests at all while Canada has a post-80 years test system every five years.
So where should we – and how should we – attempt a sensible balance of cognition and driving ability? And should we challenge NZTA to a more robust and practically mixed examination?
To those of the next generation, please take a sensible though kindly approach as to whether Grandpa and Grandma should still be gripping the wheel and possibly not able to make snap decisions in sufficient time to avoid a tragedy. That demand for a sensible approach goes two ways.
Older drivers have to undergo tests to check whether they can still drive.
