Cornwall Mama could be alive if older driver rules changed

Claire Eady believes that her mother would still be here today if the rules for older drivers were different.

The 79-year-old Geraldine Gibson died last summer after he had retired to oncoming traffic near her house in Cornwall.

“I never thought that I would have to say that the words’ my mother was killed in a car accident,” said Ms. Eady, who said that the regulations for drivers over 70 years old were “insecure and inadequate” and needed a revision.

In Great Britain there is no upper age limit for driving with around 500 license holders between 100 and 108.

The government said it was obliged to improve traffic safety.

Ms. Gibson tried to cross the A30 in Plusha near Launceston to meet a friend when she drove on the way another car.

An investigation heard that the other driver who had suffered minor injuries could not do anything to avoid this.

National Highways informed the hearing that the intersection had been changed according to other accidents, but Ms. Eady from West Sussex said that the older age was “absolutely a factor in the crash of her mother.

She learned that her mother had difficulty maneuvering in advance and had a separate close -up collision.

Ms. Eady said she believed arthritis and an earlier stroke could have influenced her mother driving.

“I don’t think my mother would ever have thought that she had to stop driving because too many things were dependent on it that she was outside in a car,” she said.

The drivers are legally responsible to inform the driver and vehicle license authority (DVLA) about the conditions that affect their driving-safe, but Ms. Eady said this was insufficient.

“You can’t really rely on the person to do that … especially if it is the only way to get out,” she added.

She said she wanted doctors to be legally obliged to notify the authorities and to give over 70 mandatory tests for those over 70.

The drivers have to extend their license at the age of 70 and then every three years

• In Great Britain there is no upper age limit for driving with around 500 license holders between 100 and 108 years
• Drivers have legal responsibility for Self -image diseases That could affect driving to the DVLA
• Instructions through the DVLA The health professions of states should inform the agency whether a patient cannot or not, but it is not a legal requirement

With increasing age of the British population, the number of older drivers also increases, since the license holders aged 70 years, according to the DVLA, increase by around 200,000 a year.

The statistics of the Department of Transport (DFT) show that older drivers make up about 14% of all licensed holders, but make up a quarter of the people killed on the streets and that people over 75 and under 25 have the highest risk of being killed or seriously injured in an accident.

Rob heard from the older driver forum that the “vast majority of the older drivers have a wealth of experience, self -confidence and tolerance”.

But he added: “With age, our relative frailty means that older drivers are often represented in serious collisions in serious injuries, especially for the age group of 80 years.”

Mr. Heard said that older drivers were more likely to collapse due to illnesses or errors of judgment, while accidents in which younger drivers were involved, were more frequent or risks.

He said that he had supported mandatory transfer of diseases of medical conditions by members of the health professions and advised affected family members to promote ripe driver reviews.

The BBC had an exclusive access to a report in which many people said its legal obligation to inform the DVLA about certain diseases, and that they are not aware of the health professions relatives to do so.

Research, prepared for A Forensic doctor in Aprilshowed that less than 10% of the DVLA notifications were carried out by medical specialists and other third parties.

The author of the report, Dr. Carol Hawley, Research Fellow at the University of Warwick, said the system had to change.

She said that her research results had pointed out that the visual and medical illnesses were accommodated “because there are not so many notifications compared to the number of driver’s license holders and the number of people who have these conditions”.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPS, said that college would welcome a more formalized approach “to ensure that the necessary violations of the confidentiality of doctor’s diseases are legally protected and avoid the undermining of patient trust”.

The union of the opticians and the College of Optometrists said that they “support” the introduction of regular mandatory visual controls for all drivers and the current system is “not suitable for the purpose”.

In 2023, the 90 -year -old Jennifer Nias moved back to the A39 in Devoran and fell to a roundabout when she confused the accelerator pedal with the brake.

She died of her injuries five months later.

Her sister -in -law, Hilary Nias, said Jennifer could “only” see the dashboard and have problems with the spatial awareness.

She said she “very strong” that change is required.

“It was a tragic end of a really interesting life,” she said, adding that the family had repeatedly warned Jennifer that her driving was unsafe.

“The [spatial awareness] had to test and judge … it might have avoided my sister-in-law’s horrible accident-and many others, “she said.

Jennifer applied to renew her driver’s license within the three years before her accident and no diseases were explained.

According to her investigation, Emma Hillson, deputy coroner of Cornwall, wrote to the DFT and the DVLA, whereby the lack of any form of medical review or evaluation is available to confirm fitness for driving. “

Ms. Nias said she was “openly depressed” by the answer, which suggested no changes to the current system.

There is a Higher proportion of Elderly people In the southwest of England as the national average, and some here driving as lifeline.

In Bodmin, 130 older people meet every week in the town hall in an old social group. A drive to get there.

The 85 -year -old widower Reg Harris said that giving up driving would “absolutely crucify” his lifestyle.

Alvin Trevena, 88, added: “Nowhere would I be able to do something, do something … I would just as well sit in the armchair and wait for dying.”

The drivers can refer to an older driving rating MobitY at costs, but transfers from DVLA, police or NHS are free.

The charity organization said that more than 10,000 people between the ages of over 70 in England were subjected to one in 2024 – 0.2% of the drivers of this age.

The local road security partnership Vision Zero South West wants more public awareness and stricter regulation.

It is said that 176 drivers aged over 60 were killed or seriously injured on Cornwall and Devon’s Road Network in 2024.

The chairman Alison Hernandez said: “We want to protect people’s lives because it is absolutely devastating if this happens to people and their families.”

When asked what could be done to support older drivers who believed that they had no choice but to continue because public transport in rural areas were often not good enough, Hernandez said that their office was planning to carry out a campaign “to clarify older drivers about how they can best be behind the steering wheel”.

The government informed the BBC that the DVLA analyzed the results from the latest investigations and from a process of 2023 evidence of the legislative framework for licensing drivers for people with diseases.

The DVLA would continue to work with members of the health professions and their supervisory authorities to understand whether there can be circumstances in which they could “be encouraged or supported to inform the DVLA about the illness of a patient”.

A DFT spokesman added: “The NHS recommends that adults should test their eyes every two years, and the drivers are legally obliged to inform the DVLA if they have an illness that affects their ability to drive.

“We strive to improve traffic safety and continue to examine ways to achieve this.”