The Licensing of Older Drivers in Europe— A Case Study

Abstract

There is also evidence that stringent renewal procedures and demanding medical examinations at renewal reduce the level of car driving licenses among older people. France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom have the highest level of driving license holding by people aged 65+, which has direct implications for the independent mobility of older people. Reduced mobility also has safety implications: in about half the European countries for which road accident fatality data have been analyzed, people aged 65+ are at greater risk of death as a pedestrian than as a car driver.

The Wechsler Digit Symbol Substitution Test as the Best Indicator of the Risk of Impaired Driving in Alzheimer Disease and Normal Aging

“…In France as in some other countries of the European Union, there is no mandatory license renewal procedure for elderly drivers [55,56] . Patients who have diagnosed cognitive disorders are followed in neurologically specialized centers or memory consultations specialized in the detection and monitoring of dementia or other neurological diseases, but few of these centers have developed complementary expertise on the abilities to drive.…”

Aging Population and Driver Licensing: A Policy Perspective

“…The administration and time costs are higher for the shorter renewal period. Mitchell (2008) and Kulikov (2010) show that as the frequency of testing increases, more drivers voluntarily cease driving. Cessation of driving gives rise to costs because of the loss of mobility and personal freedom.…”

“…Morrisey and Grabowski (2005) find in-person licence renewal is associated with lower fatality rates, with the evidence strongest for those over the age of 85. Overall, the most comprehensive research (Dobbs 2008;Langford 2008;Mitchell 2008) has concluded that existing assessment processes do not effectively identify high-risk elderly drivers.…”

Muistisairas ihminen liikenteessä

“…Ikäkausitarkastukset ovat käytössä suurimmassa osassa EU-maita, ja niiden hyötyjä on tutkittu laajalti (HakamiesBlomqvist, Johansson & Lundberg 1996;Mitchell 2008;Siren & Meng 2012). Yleisesti tutkimuksissa on tultu johtopäätökseen, että ikään perustuva seulonta ei lisää liikenneturvallisuutta, ja esimerkiksi Hollannin tieturvallisuusinstituutin (SWOV) tutkimuksen lopputulemana ikään perustuvista tarkastuksista suositeltiin luovuttavan kokonaan (Vlakveld & Davidse 2011).…”