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Older drivers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being offered advice to help continue driving safely or decide when they should stop for their wellbeing.
The Older Drivers Forum is holding its annual Older Drivers Awareness Week from Monday 2 October to Friday 6 October.
The initiative is in support of Older People’s Day this Sunday (1 October).
Where and when
The forum is visiting five different venues throughout the week:
Monday 2 October – Milford-on-Sea Community Centre, Milford-on-Sea, New Forest.
Tuesday 3 October – Haskins Garden Centre, West End, Southampton.
Wednesday 4 October – Cascades Shopping Centre, Portsmouth.
Thursday 5 October – Festival Place Shopping Centre, Basingstoke.
Friday 6 October – St. Thomas’s Square and Newport Minster, Newport, Isle of Wight.
Advice will be available on:
- Brushing up your skills;
- Booking a driving assessment;
- Arranging a regular eyesight test;
- Getting advice on health & wellbeing issues that could affect driving ability;
- Renewing your licence at age 70;
- Learning about road safety and consequences of not being fit to drive;
- Discover alternatives to being independent without a car.
Police colleagues from Hampshire Constabulary’s Cyber Protect team are also attending these events to provide cyber security advice. For more information, follow our @HCCyberProtect Twitter channel.
Chair of the Older Drivers Forum, Sergeant Rob Heard, said:
“The key message is about not becoming complacent about our driving. We know many older drivers have a wealth of experience, confidence and tolerance. However as we get older, our sight, hearing, reaction times, and judgement of speed and distance may not be as sharp as it once was. We often pick up bad habits, which become the norm without being aware of it.
“The Older Drivers Forum can help by giving advice on voluntary driving appraisals to suit your needs or build confidence.
“Our advice is don’t wait until you have a near miss or worst, an accident, to convince you to review your driving ability or to stop driving. Instead, take preventative measures by planning ahead, and seeking advice and support early.
“Attending one of these events is the ideal opportunity to come and discuss your driving needs and concerns with a variety of organisations that are dedicated to reducing casualties, and providing the guidance and support older drivers may need.”
Steady increase in number of older drivers
The number of older drivers on the roads has been increasingly steadily, and this is expected to continue. By 2030 more than 90 per cent of men aged over 70 will be behind the wheel.
Sergeant Heard added:
“It’s an important to realise that ageing affects us all differently, and doesn’t necessarily mean a total loss of driving ability. There are many things an older person can do to improve and continue driving safely. These range from modifying their vehicle, adapting the way they drive while understanding and rectifying any physical issues that may interfere with driving.
“This forum has been brought together by the specific issues faced by older motorists, giving them all the help and support to carry on driving safely for longer. We provide advice about managing without a car if their skills suddenly deteriorate to the point that driving becomes too difficult or unsafe.”
Older Drivers Forum
The Older Drivers Forum is a not-for-profit organisation consisting of experts in road safety from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight including emergency services, charities, local authorities and businesses specialising in keeping older people on the road.
There are currently just over 4.75 million people in the UK aged 70 and over driving on our roads, and the expectation is that this will increase in the next 20 years as we all live longer.
Hampshire is shown as having the highest number of older drivers outside London. Please visit the forum’s Website for more information.
If you know an older driver, have contact with them regularly in your job or are perhaps just concerned for a friend or relative who is still driving then the Older Drivers Forum may be able to help.
