Website offers advice for older drivers

A website advising senior citizens how drive safely for longer - and when to stop - is launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

The website offers seniors advice on how to recognise changes in their driving, where to find fresher training and when to retire from the wheel.

The RoSPA website has been welcomed by the charity Age UK.

The move comes as families of those killed in accidents involving older people have called for driving retests.

The call has come from the family of Michael Luciw, 27, from Nottingham, who was killed in a crash with an 87-year-old travelling the wrong way on the M1.

Ben Brooks-Dutton, whose wife Desreen was killed by an 85-year-old driver when he mounted the pavement, has set up an online petition calling for drivers over 70 to face a compulsory retest every 3 years.

The older drivers website, set up with funding from the Department for Transport, offers tips on how people can update their driving skills and knowledge.

There is also advice for families or friends who are concerned about a loved one's driving.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA's head of road safety, said: "Many older drivers recognise that their driving ability is changing, and they alter when and where they drive to compensate - but not all drivers do this.

"There comes a time when each of us needs to reduce our driving, or even stop altogether. Of course, this is different for each person - there isn't an age at which we automatically become unsafe to drive.

"The aim of the website is to help older people to continue to drive for as long as they are safe to do so, and to provide advice on making the decision to retire from driving if they are no longer able to drive safely."

Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, said: "We warmly welcome the launch of this new website which aims to help older drivers stay safe on the roads for longer.

"Driving gives choice and control over where and when someone travels, whether that's to the shops or to visit family and friends.

"A person's driving skills can't be judged by the date on their birth certificate. Everyone needs to take responsibility for making sure they are safe on the road, at any age.

"Driving brings freedom and independence and it's important that people are supported to continue driving safely for as long as possible."