Safer driving tips for senior citizens – Automotive Blog

Extra individuals are are driving for longer than even earlier than. Right this moment, two thirds of individuals aged 70 and over nonetheless maintain a driving licence, in contrast with lower than 40% within the mid Nineteen Nineties.

Nevertheless, not too long ago launched highway casualty figures for 2019 present a 9% improve within the variety of folks aged 60 and over killed in highway collisions (from 588 in 2018 to 638 in 2019).

Highway security and breakdown organisation GEM Motoring Help says older drivers can keep safer for longer by reflecting on their driving, and by understanding the place they’ll get knowledgeable security recommendation.

“The method of ageing is completely different for each single particular person,” stated GEM’s chief government Neil Price.

“That’s why GEM is eager to encourage senior drivers to mirror on their very own driving, to know the place they might be experiencing problem, and to know the place to get sensible recommendation.

“The GEM Skilled Driver Evaluation, provided along side the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), is an ideal place to start out. In spite of everything, it’s often the primary refresher coaching anybody will get since passing their driving assessments 40, 50 or extra years beforehand.”

In the meantime, listed here are GEM’s seven key suggestions to assist seniors keep protected behind the wheel…

1. Get match and keep match. If attainable, do some train for 15 to twenty minutes every day. Get a daily eye check. This enables early detection of attainable issues.
2. Get a driver MOT, comparable to GEM’s skilled driver evaluation. It’s an gratifying manner of updating your expertise.
3. Be sure the automobile you drive most accurately fits your present wants.
4. Adapt your driving to keep away from journeys that trigger you stress or discomfort.
5. Replicate in your driving, study out of your errors and close to misses. Don’t fake they’re not taking place.
6. Plan your journeys to keep away from utilizing the roads at actually busy instances, and construct in loads of breaks on longer journeys.
7. Hearken to the ideas of relations and associates. In the event that they specific concern about your driving, it’s as a result of they care about you staying protected.