Prince Philip’s crash invites useful conversation By: Editorial Posted: 7:00 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2019 (2046 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Regardless of personal opinions about whether the monarchy is of practical value these days, we can be grateful to Prince Philip for prompting discussion about elderly drivers and their licences.

The Duke of Edinburgh, who is 97 years old, surrendered his licence last Saturday, three weeks after a Jan. 17 crash in which a Land Rover he was driving hit a small car and caused minor injuries to two of its occupants.

As in Britain, there is no legal requirement in Manitoba for elderly drivers to periodically have their driving skills re-tested.

Perhaps there should be.

It’s not that elderly Manitoba drivers crash more often than younger Manitoba drivers; in fact, the opposite is true. Drivers aged 16 to 24 have a collision rate more than double that of drivers aged 65 years and older, according to 2016 statistics from Manitoba Public Insurance.

So why single out elderly drivers? Why not re-test the younger drivers who are more inclined to crash? Unfortunately, re-testing doesn’t detect the main reasons young drivers have more accidents: impaired driving, distracted driving and driving recklessly fast for the road conditions. With young drivers, stoppages by police are more effective; Manitoba police regularly patrol the roads to catch drivers who are speeding, impaired or distracted by their hand-held devices.

But roadside crackdowns by police are not designed to detect age-related challenges such as dementia, reduced vision, blackouts or dizziness due to medical conditions or medication, and decreased mobility, which, for example, could make it harder for drivers to turn their heads to shoulder-check before changing lanes.

Other Canadian provinces have recognized the need for mandatory checks to detect when it’s time for elderly drivers to give up their keys.

British Columbia mandates that at 80 years old, and every two years after, drivers must secure a doctor’s report showing they are medically competent to drive. If the doctor advises further testing, or if the over-80 driver has had an accident, they must take a road test that includes cognitive challenges such as driving a complex route following verbal directions from an instructor.

In Alberta, drivers older than 75 require regular medical fitness assessments. Doctors can order a cognitive examination, which costs the drivers about $250, and those drivers can also be forced to take an on-road evaluation.

In Ontario, once drivers reach 80, and every two years after, they must take a vision test, participate in a 45-minute group session that includes two in-class screening assignments and, if it’s deemed necessary, take a road test.

Feedback in those provinces has included thumbs-up approval from younger family members who recognized their older relative was driving poorly, but were reluctant to show disrespect by confronting their loved one and trying to pry their hands from the steering wheel. Better to let the doctor or driving tester deliver the bad news.

With the oldest baby boomers now pushing the demographic classification of elderly, it would be forward-thinking for MPI to co-ordinate a public discussion about whether older people should be required to have their driving skills regularly tested by doctors and/or driving examiners.

Statistics Canada predicts that by 2021, this province will have 161,000 drivers older than 65. Manitoba needs to keep its roads safe, for them and for everyone else who gets behind the wheel.