Victoria to weigh up elderly driver tests after Wantirna South crash

Victoria will consider stricter rules to ensure elderly motorists are fit to drive after a 91-year-old was involved in a crash that killed a woman and seriously injured a toddler and a man in Melbourne’s east on Thursday.

Police say the woman lost control of her Toyota Yaris and veered onto the footpath for about 200 metres along Coleman Road in Wantirna South on Thursday, hitting a toddler and his grandparents from behind.

A toddler and his grandparents were hit by an out-of-control car in Wantirna South on Thursday. Credit: Eddie Jim

A 59-year-old woman died at the scene. A 60-year-old man remained in hospital in a critical condition on Friday, while a two-year-old boy was in hospital in a stable condition.

No charges have been laid over the crash.

Acting Premier Ben Carroll said on Friday there was a “valid question” over whether Victoria should follow some other states and make fitness-to-drive tests for older drivers mandatory.

“There are a range of initiatives in place … through our general practitioners right around Victoria when it comes to making sure that Victorians continue to get tested for their driver’s licence,” he said. “But I think [there is] no doubt this tragedy has brought it into focus.”

Carroll said the government would consider whether the rules needed changing after the crash had been investigated.

According to police, 164 people have been killed by road crashes in Victoria so far this year. That is an average of six deaths every week, and 15 more deaths than this time last year.

NSW, Queensland and Western Australia require drivers aged 75 and older to undergo an annual medical assessment to keep their licences. NSW also requires motorists aged 85 and above to undergo a practical driving assessment every two years to maintain an unrestricted licence.

Associate Professor Sjaan Koppel, of Monash University Accident Research Centre, said research showed mandatory assessments were not effective, with no significant difference in older driver crash rates in jurisdictions that had them.

But she said mandatory tests did appear to push older adults into giving up their driver’s licences prematurely, even when they were still fit to drive, because they were nervous about having to sit a driving exam.

“And we know that premature driving cessation is associated with a whole range of negative psychosocial and health consequences,” she said. “People feel isolated; they don’t know how to connect with community or services or friends and family any more.”

Koppel said she supported Victoria’s model of mandatory medical condition reporting because it captured all drivers whose fitness to drive might be impaired, regardless of their age.

“Where we see a bit of a disconnect is if there is a cognitive impairment and people do not have the insight to recognise that there are those changes,” she said. “That’s where probably we need to be making sure that we’re referring those people into the licensing authority.”

In 2023, Victoria had a fatal road crash rate of 3.8 per 100,000 of population. That compares with 3.6 in NSW, 4.8 in Queensland and 5.1 in Western Australia. Nationwide, the rate was 4.3.

Victorian motorists are legally required to report serious or permanent medical conditions to VicRoads so it can conduct a medical review. Family, friends or health professionals can also refer drivers to VicRoads for medical assessments, and this can be anonymously.

VicRoads conducted 180,000 high-risk driver reviews in the 2024 financial year, according to the Department of Transport and Planning’s annual report.

Reviews can lead VicRoads to request a follow-up driving assessment, cancel a motorist’s licence, or impose conditions on their licence, such as restricting the time of day or distance from home they can drive.

Younger and older drivers are both over-represented in road injuries and deaths. But Koppel said that mostly reflected the fact older people were much more susceptible to injury in a crash.

Changes to an older driver’s eyesight, hearing, memory, reaction times and physical strength can all affect their ability to drive, as can chronic medical conditions that become more common as people age.

VicRoads advises that occupational therapists can help older drivers adjust their vehicles to account for changes to their health, such as installing additional mirrors, adjustable seating, controls and steering aids.

The chief executive of Council on the Ageing Victoria, Ben Rogers, said his organisation would support any change to the road rules as long as it was based on drivers’ ability, not just age.

“That’s where we really support the Victorian system, which is about people reflecting on their own ability, and there are also opportunities for GPs and loved ones or people who know them to make reports,” he said. “We think that is effective.”

Rogers said forcing people to stop driving prematurely could lead to them being socially isolated and moving into aged care before they are ready.

Rogers said there was room for improvement in supporting ageing people to consider their abilities, starting conversations with loved ones about their driving ability, and making alternative forms of transport available so they could remain connected to the community if they stopped driving.

“We don’t think the answer is saying, just because you’re over 75, you’re the problem and you’re the one that has to jump through all these barriers,” he said.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victoria chair Dr Anita Muñoz said anyone who drove a car needed to be certain they would be safe doing so.

“If you’re a person over 65, I think that you should be asking your GP to help you answer that question,” she said.

However, Muñoz said her organisation was not pushing for mandatory medical checks. Motorists needed to ask themselves if they felt safe driving every time they got behind the wheel, she said.

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