OLDER DRIVERS - A PROBLEM FOR WHOM?

In 1991, a Swedish Parliamentary Committee studied road safety problems in relation to older drivers (65+ years). The Committee concluded that older drivers in general fully compensate for the increased risks associated with old age by adapting their driving habits to their own particular infirmities. The Committee therefore found no reason to impose general, age-related restrictions on the right to drive a motor vehicle. General fitness and practical driving tests have not either shown themselves to be of any significance for road safety in reasonable proportion to the resources which would be required if medical examinations or retaking of the driving test were to be made obligatory at a certain age.