The Review of the Older Driver Licensing System in Tasmania

Cloak · Guru

Elderly drivers to face yearly medical exams

Happywanderer · The Master

I will be ok for a good while yet. Sorry for the elders who will have to go through this.

pauline · Guru

I think 75 might be a bit early, maybe 80 though would be better...............

Roving-Dutchy · Guru

This is already being done in NSW in fact I will have to go for my next medical before July, its no real problem if you are in good health and it gives the Dr a chance to take you off the road if you are no longer medically or mentally competent to drive, one of the problems you suffer from, if you are getting Alzheimer's is the inability to judge distances, which might cause you to pull out in front of a B-Double with fatal consequences.
Cheers
David

GaryKelly · Guru

I've had more medicals than hot dinners during the last few years so I guess one more won't matter.

gordon_adl · Senior Member

I reckon it's a good idea. It's better to be safe than sorry. Especially if someone has alzheimers, they may not even be aware they are a danger on the road. I'm also aware that sometimes in small country towns, your license may be taken away but still allowed to drive within a 15K radius if deemed medically unfit for long travels.

neilnruth · Guru

They need a check for some gopher drivers too (after they lose their car licence) - I saw one in our town nearly hit a four year old child the other day.

Santa · Guru

pauline wrote:
I think 75 might be a bit early, maybe 80 though would be better...............

Annual medical checks compulsory in SA from 70 onward.

neilnruth · Guru

Wow! That's young considering they are telling us that retirement age will be 70.

Weedy Pigeon · Senior Member

My father was a danger on the road after the age of 75. Driving on the wrong side of the white line at night, and most frighteningly of all, pulling out of a side street in Cairns in front of a 6x6 army truck. Of course he claimed everybody else was in the wrong!

Sheba · Guru

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/apn-newsdeskdrivers-over-75-years-old-on-queenslan/1873204

Cloak · Guru

Thats a good point neil n ruth.

If someone doesn't have the fitness to drive surly a job would be too much of a challenge.

Cheers

GaryKelly · Guru

The old fellow next door used to back out of his drive onto the road (with a roundabout on his right) using his mirrors because he couldn't turn his head. How the hell he avoided colliding with something I'll never know. His wife always sat beside him blissfully unaware of the danger. I never said anything because both of them would have taken umbrage and shouted me down. He handed in his license at 80 but should have done so years before that. This is in NSW by the way.

Legendts · Senior Member

Medicals are fine but it's the doctor at the end of the day saying yes/no. My mother in law should have been taken off the road 10 years ago but her licence was only cancelled last year. Yes I dobbed her in 4 years ago but nothing happened. Had one accident and three or four minor scrapes over the past few years that I know of but could have been more. It was always the other person at fault though.

neilnruth · Guru

How do they get away with it? In smaller country towns everyone knows 'Watch out for so-and-so in the little yellow car'. We avoid them! Thus accidents are avoided. Not the way it should be though.

johnq · Guru

Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson is a blithering idiot who has bowled a number of wrong-uns since becoming minister. Turbans, Segways and other ridiculous gaffes. Here for Segways,

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-23/qld-transport-minister-scott-emerson-rides-segway/4646208

The annual health checks for older people is just populist media-led law making for the sake of law making. It is based on a stereotype of the 'aged' that must be challenged. It matters not that the same ageism, discrimination and foolishness has evidenced in other States. We are entitled to see the evidence and that evidence compared with other contributors to road accidents. While a few older people who are beyond it might continue on the road, it is absolute nonsense to blame all people over a certain age for doing the same. Laws should be based on evidence not emotion. Honestly, what about random monthly samples of urine from all of those young professionals who buy the designer drugs and hit the road in their high performance vehicles?

What Minister Scott Emerson could address are the traffic snarls in SEQld and the lack of consideration of human needs, especially the needs of families and older people in town and transport planning. Five minutes on any of the major thoroughfares in Brisbane would prove what many Brisbanites suspect, that there are many other very obvious causes of road trauma that Minister Emerson could address. But no, it is the usual political B.S. of more redundant regulations affecting the easy victims. While politicians like Mr Emerson ignore the poor planning of infrastructure through over-population from record high immigration.

We really deserve better than this. There is a distinct lack of motivation and lack of creativity in designing roads and transport that suits all people in the community and not just the few. Mr Emerson was a journalist wasn't he? For pity's sake put a qualified engineer into the job.

landy · Guru

Why pick on the older driver ,when we all know that young drivers are the most dangerous on the road. They may well have faster reaction times, better eye sight and be able to turn their necks further, but far too many have bad attitude and think that they are invincible. I think probably the best way to demonstate this is to take a comparison of the premiums that insurance companies are asking for an under 25 year old driver compared with a 75 year old, and thier business is risk. coles insurance for a 2007 santa fe $493 for a 75 year old and $910 for a 24 year old in the same car.

Landy

jimricho · Guru

For medical reasons I have to get a medical each year for my licence. In NSW it's a simple check-up and fill out of a form that I get done on one of my regular visits to the doctor.

This has nothing to do with picking on older drivers or blaming them for the road toll as suggested by some other posts but simply checking that older drivers are medically safe to keep driving. As we age our medical fitness inevitably declines and holding a driver's licence is a privilege, not a right.

I certainly don't want to have an accident resulting from either my medical unfitness or that of another driver. (or any other reason for that matter)

-- Edited by jimricho on Monday 20th of May 2013 06:19:36 AM

Big Gorilla · Guru

The Review of the Older Driver Licensing System in Tasmania

The recommendation of the report into the older driver licensing system has resulted in compulsory driving tests for Tasmanian motorists aged 85 years or older ending from early October, because it is discriminatory and has a significant impact on the lives of older drivers.

The review of the older driver licensing system has found that older drivers are not a major road safety problem in Tasmania, and are not over-represented in crash statistics.

Between 2005 and 2009, drivers aged between 75 and 84 were involved in 4.1% of serious casualty crashes and drivers 85 and over in just 1.3% of serious casualty crashes.

Normal ageing doesn't mean a driver is more likely to be involved in a crash and compulsory testing is therefore not improving road safety.

Older drivers tend to drive less, make shorter trips, drive in low traffic volumes, drive in good driving conditions and low speed zones and choose less hazardous roads.

As part of the Review of Older Driver Licensing, there was a month-long public consultation process, with 61 submissions received from individuals and organisations.

From age 75

From age 75 onwards, you are required to complete a satisfactory
medical assessment each year to make sure that you are medically
fit to drive. Your medical will be due the same time every year - the
day and month of your licence expiry. For example, if your licence
was due to expire on 15 July 2014, your medical will be due by 15
July every year.

One to two months before your medical is due, you should receive a
letter asking you to make an appointment with your doctor for a
medical assessment, as well as the medical assessment forms.
Once you get this letter, you should make an appointment with your
doctor as soon as you can to make sure your medical assessment
will get completed on time.

Your doctor will complete your medical assessment form and either
give it back to you or send it directly to the Registrar of Motor
Vehicles.

You then need to either:
take your medical assessment to a Service Tasmania shop OR
send your medical assessment to the Registrar of Motor Vehicles
at GPO Box 1002, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001.

-- Edited by Big Gorilla on Monday 20th of May 2013 07:52:35 AM

herbie · Guru

We all do not like the thought of not being independent ,just a fact of life, but there is limits when it becomes a issue driving on the roads.But in saying that there probably is as many younger drivers doing the wrong thing on our roads .Was just wondering if they make caravans small enough to tow behinde a gopher?if so i will not be too unset if and when they take my license off me.

-- Edited by herbie on Monday 20th of May 2013 02:12:04 PM

Gerty Dancer · Guru

I'm surprised its not Australia wide. We all gradually lose "bits and pieces" of our judgement/senses without knowing it. And we don't like to admit it!

I drove on a highway in the dark recently and realised I hadn't done that for 15 years. I struggled to see how far away oncoming traffic was, the direction of the road over the top of hills, was stressed out! My glasses are much stronger nowadays and I haven't had any practise of night-driving, will make arrangements to avoid it in future! I'm 67 and I hadn't realised how difficult it would be.

Grams · Guru

Les and myself both have yearly medicals because we are both diabetics, he is type 2 I'm type 1. So no problems there.

I also dobed in my father who is now 77 years ago, nothing was done and he is still driving. My mother tells him where to go, as he can never remember, even to the local shops. He pulls off the road if a truck comes the other way as he is afraid of getting hit. But no one listens, though now he only drives in the country town he lives and no longer goes into the city as he kept falling asleep at the wheel. Hs been like this for the last 10 years.

brickies · Guru

There are unknown numbers of drivers on the road who have sleep disorders who could be much safer driver if they were to be tested and if found to have a sleep disorder used a CPAP machine .

brickies · Guru

This not about our driving skill it all about our health

neilnruth · Guru

But aren't our driving skills related to our health brickies?

kandagal · Guru

I had my Qld driver's licence renewed last year at age 73. It's good for 5 years so I guess I won't have to have a medical until I am 78.

neilnruth · Guru

I wouldn't be so sure of that kandagal. You may have the licence for 5 years but I think you'll still have to have the medical at 75.

kandagal · Guru

Oh well not to worry I'm lucky that I'm still reasonably fit & of sound mind.

herbie · Guru

brickies wrote:
This not about our driving skill it all about our health

I thought driving skills and one's health went hand in hand.If your eye sight has deterioated from one year to the next check up or medicial,would that not deam your driving skills to have deminished some what...I also would think that this test we will have to under take showed signs of some other medical condition that hindered one's driving skills you would not be issued an all clear medical certificate to continue driving.

liddle · Senior Member

I think it is an excellent idea.

Anything that helps towards safety is OK by me

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.

The Review of the Older Driver Licensing System in Tasmania