Australians over the age of 50 could be introduced to mandatory driving training, a controversial report has suggested.
A study by the University of NSW in Sydney showed that drivers with and without a clean driving record, should be re-examined To make the roads in Australia safer.
According to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics’ Road Trauma Australia statistical summary, 19 percent of all road deaths occur in the seventeen to 25 year age group and 21 percent in the over 65 year age group.
Despite this, UNSW scientist Professor Karin Anstey, an expert in cognitive ageing, says that common driving mistakes are not always age-related, but can arise from old habits formed years ago.
“A lot of these are bad habits that drivers have brought with them from their youth,” he said.
“We see many people not checking blind spots, not making right-hand turns properly, not cutting corners, or not maintaining their lane position.”
Entse said drivers under the age of 50 should complete additional driving lessons as part of “normal life”.
“People don’t naturally ask themselves ‘Do I need to update my driving skills.'”
“It could be something like this, when you turn 50 you are invited to an additional driving lesson to check your driving.”
“At the moment you only get it if there’s something wrong with your driving,” he said.
Anstey is leading studies at Neura aimed at improving the safety of older drivers, most recently through a controlled study called the ‘Better Drive Study’.
The trial involved three groups of drivers over the age of 65 who were monitored for 12 months, with each group receiving different levels of support and feedback.
One group had a refresher on the rules, another had video-feedback and the third had both video feedback and a customized driving lesson.
The results have not yet been analyzed but Entse said it was clear the intervention could improve older drivers’ performance and safety on the road.
“We have not yet analyzed our results as we have just completed our final assessment,” he said.
“But in our pilot study, which was very similar, we found that among people who included driving lessons and video feedback in our intervention, we shifted a significant proportion from unsafe to safe drivers, and we reduced their driving errors. “Reduced.”
In NSW traffic offenses including speeding, drunk driving and road racing can result in immediate loss of license.
But Anstey says the “all or nothing approach” does not work and that much more can be achieved by tailored intervention rather than simply taking away licenses.
