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For 7,035 car accidents in which a driver was either critically injured or killed last year, 8% involved a driver aged over 70.
That's equivalent to 550 accidents. As a result, the over 70's group has proved itself to be a bigger danger on the roads than any other.
More statistics released by The Association of British Insurers tell the same story - over 70's drivers make 13% more car insurance claims than drivers in the 40-50 age bracket.
Over the next ten years, the amount of elderly drivers on the road will be double what it is now. Thanks to advances in medical care, people are simply
living, and driving, for longer. This will inevitably mean more accidents on our roads. As a result of the perceived increased risk, someone aged 75 will
pay 33% more than a 50 year old with exactly the same personal details and driving history.
Drivers aged 80 are heavily penalised, it's like being 21 again!
The best deals are reserved for people in their early 50's, however they won't get long to enjoy the price cuts.
Women get an even rougher deal. Apparently, women's driving gets worse with age, so their premiums will rise and rise as they get older.
Elderly women drivers pay even more than the men do.
It's a fact that as people get older, their reactions get slower and eyesight often becomes weaker.
With more cars on the road and new complicated traffic systems being built, it's understandable that some elderly drivers can get confused.
T
here really isn't any room for error on our busy roads and as a result, some insurance companies are asking elderly drivers to undertake a medical
examination before they will agree to insure them.
There's a few things you can do to help the situation - firstly, do your very best to hang onto your no claims discount and get
no claims protection too, that
will pay for itself in the long term. Even if you do have a minor bump, pay
for it yourself rather than making a claim on your policy. It's not all bad. Some
of the insurers that make a point of insuring elderly drivers offer special
extras to make life easier (and keep your business).
Saga will enable you to
carry any company car no claims discount onto a policy with them. Even
better,
if you decide to give up driving but there's another person named on your
policy, they can take on your no claims history as their own.
Another
offering is to have an unnamed driver automatically covered on the insurance in case
they have to take over driving in an emergency situation. Cornhill say that if
you have stop driving because the DVLA stipulates that you must for age-related
health reasons, they will pay you £250 in cash. Because it is clear that
elderly drivers are a growing risk on the roads, the government has stepped
in with some suggestions. Nothing is set in stone yet, but there's talk of
introducing compulsory health checks for elderly drivers.
Some local councils, Torbay Council for example, have introduced measures of their own. In Torbay
they are campaigning for families and Doctors to point out to elderly
drivers who they believe to be unsafe on the roads that they should consider
giving up driving. It's about asking people to take responsibility for
others. As a spokesman for the Council said: "The problem is that the elderly can't always
see themselves when it's really time to give up driving, so those closest to
them must take responsibility for that."
A survey by The Institute of Advanced Motorists revealed that the
majority of elderly drivers were all too aware that they, as a group, cause more
accidents. This was resulting a lack of confidence to add to the other factors we have
already discussed. Seven out of ten older drivers said that they felt they
would benefit from a motorway driving refresher course, and six out of ten said that
they were worried about not being able to react quickly enough at a junction,
and on dark, badly lit roads. Advanced tests at the Institute have now been extended to elderly drivers, to enable them to gain confidence and improve
their driving skills. It will also help take some people who really are not fit to drive off the roads.
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