A new website launched by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and neuroscience institute NeuRA aims to help drivers aged in their 50s and above stay safe and remain on the roads longer.
Cognitive aging expert and UNSW professor Kaarin Anstey told 9news.com.au later-in-life driving lessons were crucial as our population grows and ages.
“We obviously want people to stay on the road as long as it’s safe for them to do so. And that’s the issue: they have to be safe on the road,” Anstey explained.
“That’s the point of the website, to empower older drivers, family members and health professionals.
“We’ve been working on this issue of older drivers for over 20 years because the second biggest cause of injury in older adults is motor vehicle accidents or crashes (after falls).”
Anstey said her accompanying research The Better Drive Study looked at if older drivers were less likely to cause road accidents or put themselves in harm if they had a refresher course.
It followed motorists aged over 65 over 12 months to see if driving improved.
“A lot of people got their licence in an era where the cars were different, the roads were different, the road rules were different,” she said.
“We just feel there’s a certain amount of improvement that probably all of us, not just the older age group but lots of people, could benefit in refreshing their driving skills.”
Anstey’s pilot study found older people were likely to develop bad habits such as not checking blind spots or not keeping up to date with key road rules.
She said people who did the driving lessons had a “big improvement” in their safety on the road.
Later-in-life lessons could also identify if a person should be looking at giving up their licence.
“Sometimes there’s people who we find who are not very safe drivers, or who have an impairment that they may not have been aware of,” Anstey added.
9News asked several older drivers in Victoria if they supported the idea of lessons.
“I think it’s a good idea, there are some older people who definitely need a refresher but there are some that are still quite good,” one woman said.
“I’d rather not go through those grills but I guess for everyone’s safety it’s a very good thing,” another added.
The website Aging Well on the Road, launched this week, has information and advice for older drivers.
It also helps people navigate the different rules and regulations across states.
The rules to asses drivers’ abilities are different all over the country.
In Victoria, drivers must self-report medical conditions while in NSW drivers must undergo annual medical assessments from a GP and practical driving tests over the age of 85.
“People don’t naturally ask themselves ‘do I need to update my driving skills’,” Anstey said.
“The website is really designed for the general public.
“The medical fitness to drive manual from Austroads provides guidance to health practitioners about the requirements for driving medical conditions [too].”
Results from the Better Drive Study are set to be released in 2025.
