If the rules of the old driver have changed, the cornwall may ‘be alive’

Claire Eddie believes that if the rules were different for the old drivers, then his mother would have been here even today.

In the last summer, 79 -year -old Geraldin Gibson died after pulling out in the traffic coming near his house in Cornwal.

“I never thought that I would have to say the word ‘My mother has been killed in a car accident’,” Mrs. Eddie said, who had the rules “unsafe and insufficient” for drivers over 70 years of age and needed an overhaul.

Currently there is no upper age limit for driving in the UK, with about 500 license holders between 100 and 108.

The government said that it is committed to improving road safety.

Mrs. Gibson was trying to cross the A30 in Plusha near Launseston to meet a friend when she pulled in the way of another car.

One inquiries heard that there was nothing that the other driver, who suffered minor injuries, could do it to avoid it.

The National Highway reported that the junction was replaced after other accidents since the hearing, but Mrs. ED of West Sussex said that her mother’s older age was “absolutely a factor”.

He learned that his mother was already struggling to maneuver and she had a different confrontation.

Mrs. ED said that she believes that arthritis and an earlier stroke may have affected the driving of her mother.

“I don’t think my mother would ever think that she needed to stop driving because there were many things that depended on being out in a car,” she said.

Drivers have a legal responsibility to inform the conditions affecting their fitness to drive the driver and vehicle licensing authority (DVLA), but Mrs. ED said it felt insufficient.

“You can’t really trust the person to do so … especially if it is the only way to get out,” he said.

She said she wants medical professionals to be legally necessary to inform the authorities and compulsory tests for more than 70 people.

What are the current rules about older drivers?

• Drivers will have to renew their license after 70 years and every three years
• There is no upper age limit for driving in the UK, which has about 500 licenses between the ages of 100 to 108 years.
• Drivers have legal responsibility Self-determined medical conditions It can affect Dvla driving
• Guidance by DVLA The health professionals of the states should inform the agency whether a patient cannot do it or not, but it is not a legal requirement

As the UK population, the number of older drivers is also increasing, with license holders of 70 years of age and according to DVLA, growing up to about 200,000 per year.

The Transport Statistics Department suggests that the older drivers make about 14% of all license holders, but are responsible for a quarter of those killed on the roads, and that people under 75 and under 25 years of age are the greatest at risk of being killed or severely hurt in an accident.

Rob from the forum of older drivers, who listened to Rob, supports motorists to continue driving safely for a long time, stated that “the vast majority of the older drivers have a treasure of experience, confidence and tolerance”.

But he said: “As we are in age, our relative fraud means that older drivers are often represented in a conflict of severe injury, especially for 80 and above age groups.”

Mr. Hurd said that the elderly drivers were more likely to crash due to illness or errors in the decision, while accidents associated with young drivers were more likely to take speed or risk.

He said that he supported the mandatory referrals of medical conditions by health professionals and advised the concerned family members to encourage mature driver assessment.

The BBC has a special access to a report, stating that many people were “unknown” from their legal obligation to inform the DVLA of some medical conditions and the health professionals were “reluctant to do”.

Research, ready for one Coroner in AprilLess than 10% DVLA notifications were made by medical professionals and other third parties.

The author of the report, Dr. Carroll Hale, Research Fellow at Warwick University, said the system “needs to change”.

He said that his research suggested that visual and medical conditions were reduced “because there are no information compared to the number of driving license holders and the number of those who have the number of conditions”.

Professor Kamila Hothorn, President of the Royal College of GPS, said the college would welcome a more formal approach “to ensure that any necessary violations of doctor-patient privacy are preserved in the law and avoid reducing the patient trust”.

The Association of Optometries and College of Optometries said that they regularly support the intake of compulsory vision probe for all drivers “strongly support and said the current system was” fit for the purpose “.

Somewhere else in Cornwall, Hillary Nias said she “feels very strongly” that her sister -in -law needs a change after a deadly accident.

“This was a sad end for a really interesting life,” he said, by adding the family, he was repeatedly warned that his driving was unsafe.

90 -year -old Jennifer Nias pulled A39 into Devoran and crashed on a roundabout when she misunderstood the accelerator Pedle for the break.

He died of injuries five months later.

Mrs. Nias said that her sister -in -law could see “only” on the dashboard and she was having problems with spatial awareness.

“That test and assessment was required … It could probably survive my sister-in-law’s horrific accident-and many others,” she said.

Jennifer Nias had applied for his driving license to be renewed before his accident within three years and no medical condition was announced.

The assistant coroner for the cornwall wrote to Emma Hillson, Transport Department and DVLA after his inquiry, “highlights the need” to confirm fitness in any form for medical examination or evaluation for any “requirement for any kind of requirement”.

Mrs. Nias said that she was “clearly depressed” from the response, which did not change the current system.

There is one High ratio of elderlyy people In comparison to the national average, in the southwest of England, and some driving here as a lifeline.

In Bodmin, 130 old people meet an age in the town hall weekly in the social group. Drive to drive some.

The 85 -year -old widow Reg Harris said that except for driving would “crucify” his lifestyle.

88 -year -old Elvin Trevenana said: “I will not be able to go anywhere, I will be able to do anything … I will just sit in the armchair and wait to die.”

Drivers can refer to themselves for an old driving evaluation Driving mobilitY at a cost, but referrals from DVLA, police or NHS are independent.

Charity stated that more than 10,000 people over the age of 70 passed through one in England in 2024 – 0.2% driver of that age.

Local road safety participation Vision zero southwest Along with more public awareness, it also wants strict regulation.

It states that 176 drivers above 60 were killed or seriously injured in 2024 on the road network of Cornwal and Devon.

The chair Alison Hernandez said: “We want to protect people’s lives because it is absolutely destructive when it happens with people and their families.”

Asked what could be done to support the older drivers, who felt that there is no option but to be taken as public transport was often not quite good in rural areas, Hernandez said that his office “his office was planning to run a campaign to educate old drivers how they could be behind the wheel”.

The government told the BBC that the DVLA was analyzing the findings from the recent inquiry, and from a call for evidence on the legislative structure controlling the driver licensing for people with medical conditions since 2023.

It said that DVLA will continue to connect with health professionals and their regulatory bodies, to understand whether there may be circumstances where they can be encouraged or supported in informing DVLA of the patient’s medical condition “.

A department of the transport spokesperson said: “NHS recommended that adults should test their eyes every two years and drivers need to be legally informed DVLA if they have a condition that affects their ability to drive.

“We are committed to improving road safety and continue to detect ways to achieve it.”

Additional Reporting by Lauren Woodhead, England Data Unit