Study shatters elderly driver myth

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After bearing the brunt of road rage on the nation's streets for years, elderly drivers have emerged as some of the safest drivers in the UK, according to a report from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

The study found that although motorists over 85 were four times more likely to have caused a crash rather than be the innocent victim of one, they were responsible for only 4% of crashes that cause injury.

Elderly drivers, who account for 8% of all motorists on the UK's roads, paled in comparison to the new generation of drivers who were involved in 34% of injury crashes despite making up only 15% of the motoring population.

The report compiled crash data from 2000 to 2006 in a bid to provide a more accurate reflection of the nation's best and worst drivers and to debunk the myth that older drivers were unsafe.

Neil Greig, IAM director of policy and research, said: "The IAM recommends that, rather than seeking to prevent older people from driving, we need to make them aware of the risks they face, and offer them driving assessments to help them cope with these risks."

On average, men in their 70s were found to make at least 100 more trips as car drivers per year than men in their late teens and 20s, according to the Older Drivers - Safe or Unsafe report.

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