Old drivers now the deadly generation
Over-60s overtake in the fatal accident statistics
OLDER drivers have overtaken the young to be involved in more fatal and serious crashes on Scotland’s roads.
Safety campaigns focus on young people, warning them to cut their speed amid a series of tragedies involving teenagers.
But, while drivers aged 25 and under are still more likely than over-60s to be injured after overtaking or taking a bend too fast, the older generation has higher totals in the latest serious crash figures.
A decade ago, 17 to 25-year-olds were caught up in hundreds more fatal and serious crashes than those near and in retirement. But now they come in below the over-60s, whose percentage of serious crashes has hit a ten-year high.
The revelation follows a series of highprofile incidents involving pensioners in Scotland, including the case in February of a 78-year-old driver who caused a charity cyclist’s death through careless driving.
Kenneth McClelland was spared jail because of his age but given a five-year driving ban after overtaking a camper van and car and hitting Sally Preece, 49, who was cycling from Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
A month later, Francis Moore, 77, was banned for 12 months after driving the wrong way along an M8 exit ramp, narrowly escaping a head-on smash.
Experts say that by 75, older drivers are twice as likely to be killed at T-junctions, prompting a call this month from campaigners the Older Drivers Task Force for these to be replaced with mini-roundabouts to make it easier to pull out safely. In Scotland, 46 people over the age of 60 were involved in fatal road crashes in 2014.
Only eight years previously, young drivers aged 17 to 25 were involved in almost double the fatal crashes involving the baby boomer generation. But the trend reversed in 2011 and has continued since, with 41 crashes for this age group in 2014.
When it comes to serious road accidents with reported injuries, 20.5 per cent of these involved over60s in 2014, compared to 19.9 per cent for young drivers in Scotland.
Younger drivers’ share of these crashes has fallen since 2004, with experts crediting the economic downturn which made it harder for many to afford a car. But the perlikely centage for over-60s is at a ten-year high – up from 12.7 per cent in 2004.
The figures include drivers who caused accidents resulting in injury and the drivers caught up in them.
Responding to the crash figures, taken from Scotland’s reported road casualties for 2014, Neil Greig, director of policy and research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said older drivers were more to be injured or killed because they are often more frail.
‘Eyesight is one of the issues for older drivers, although everyone in Scotland gets free eye tests. Another issue is reaction times, as you become slower with older age.
‘Because many of these drivers are more experienced, they do tend to spot hazards, stop before younger people and drive slower. But at 85, there definitely appears to be a trend towards having more crashes which are their own fault.’
Mr Greig added: ‘People carry on driving when perhaps they should have stopped.’
From 70, drivers are required to renew their licences every three years. But it is estimated that, in less than a decade, there will be a million drivers over 85 in the UK.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said its Road Safety Framework aimed for zero road deaths by 2020 and the latest data showed a continued downward trend in casualties.
‘People drive on when perhaps they shouldn’t’ ‘Trend towards more smashes’