Top traffic cop urges seniors to get off the roads

THE NRMA have come out in opposition to a senior police officer who suggested that drivers over 70 should ‘get off the road’ because they cause so may accidents.

Assistant Police Commissioner John Hartley in Centennial Park to updatde the media on the NSW road toll.

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THE NRMA has lashed out over the suggestion that senior citizens should not be able to drive.

NSW Police head of traffic John Hartley today started a huge public debate - and outcry - when he said drivers over 70 were 2 ½ times as likely to be killed in an accident and ­needed to consider if they really had to get behind the wheel.

But the National Roads and Motorists’ Association said the right of drivers to hold a license should be based on ability - not age.

NRMA president Kyle Loades claimed Transport for NSW figures did not support the suggestion.

He said: “In 2015, a year in which the toll increased dramatically, 33 people over the age of 70 were killed driving a motor vehicle on NSW roads – that’s one more than in 2014.

“Statistics showed a greater increase in passenger, motor cyclist and pedestrian fatalities in this age group during 2015.

“The NRMA is appalled by last year’s road toll, but clearly it’s misguided to blame older drivers.

“The means of reducing the toll is to be found in focusing on better roads, safer cars and better driving practices. The answer is not based on demographics.

“We are living longer and governments are telling us we need to work longer. It is not feasible to take the privilege of personal mobility away from a growing proportion of the population.”

Assistant Commissioner Hartley said older motorists often found it increasingly difficult to keep their car centred in a lane and could go through red lights or stop signs and back into and over objects.

“It is these issues that put older drivers, their passengers, and other road users at great risk,” he told The Daily Telegraph yesterday.

“Personal responsibility is the key to keeping us all safe on NSW roads. Don’t wait until you’re involved in a near miss, or a crash, to reconsider your driving ability.”

NSW Centre for Road ­Safety revealed drivers over the age of 70 accounted for 22 per cent of road fatalities, when they only made up 11 per cent of the population.

NSW drivers aged 75 or over must have annual medical checks and drivers over 85 have to pass a practical exam every two years. NSW is the only state where the tests are mandatory.

Older drivers can also apply for a modified licence that allows them to drive only in their local area where they are familiar with the traffic conditions.

Close to 90 per cent of ­motorists were also continuing to drive after the age of 85.

NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay backed the call for older drivers to reconsider their driving habits.

“Looking at (the 2015) road toll statistics, it saddens me to see older people over-represented, mothers, fathers and grandparents,” he said.

NSW Minister for Roads Duncan Gay / Picture: Daniel Aarons

The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association was outraged by the suggestion, with spokesman Paul Versteege saying it was insulting to suggest older people should curtail their driving.

“Older people are more likely to be seriously injured or killed because they become more frail, not because they are worse drivers,” he said.

“It’s really saying: ‘You’re old, get off the road. Why police want people getting close to 65 to get off the road is not clear.”

Octogenarian motorist John Inglis, who drives from Pennant Hills to Seven Hills to get to work, agreed, saying his “age hasn’t affected” his skills.

“I watch the effect age takes on my driving and I will act responsibly,” the 89 year old said.

“I drive through the city and traffic doesn’t worry me. I do 20,000 to 25,000km a year and I don’t have any problems.”

John Inglis, 89, still drives around Sydney and makes regular trips to Canberra / Picture: Dylan Robinson