By GB News (World News) | Created at 2025-03-12 10:21:26 | Updated at 2025-03-12 15:30:55
5 hours ago
An elderly motorist has been banned from driving for life and received a suspended prison sentence after being charged with careless driving.
The driver was sentenced by a Derry judge in Northern Ireland, with the case now raising concerns around elderly drivers and the safety risks they pose to other road users.
The 88-year-old driver failed to stop in time at a zebra crossing and subsequently knocked into a grandmother and a three-year-old girl, who was swept under the vehicle in 2023.
The female driver was slapped with a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and disqualified from driving for life.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing[email protected]
The 88-year-old driver was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence and lifetime driving ban
GETTY
The judge on the case highlighted growing safety issues around elderly drivers "and the risks they pose to other road users".
He detailed how while some elderly drivers can be capable on UK roads, there needs to be more serious conversations around age-related conditions with some drivers who "simply should not be on the road".
The grandmother in the case said: "I always knew she was not going to prison because she was too old, but there is a point that if someone is too old to go to prison, then they are too old to be on the road."
She added that when drivers reach a certain age threshold, there should be tests in place to ensure they remain road safe.
In a bid to improve road safety in England, Dorset Police revealed earlier this week that it would hold an event for elderly drivers to ensure they remain up to date with the latest travel rules.
The event will take place in Dorchester on Thursday, March 20 and will be split into two sessions. Dorset Police will be joined by BCP Road Safety, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, Age UK, and the Institute of Advanced Motorists, alongside other partner agencies to provide safety information and recommendations for elderly drivers.
Dorset Police shared: "The risk of being involved in a collision increases after the age of 70, but up to that age drivers are no more likely to cause a crash than to be the victim of another road user’s mistake. However, drivers over 70, and especially over 80, are more likely to be at fault when they crash."
Data found that, across Great Britain in 2019, 203 drivers aged 60 and over were killed in road collisions, while 1,867 were seriously injured and 7,844 were slightly injured.
Elderly drivers are required to renew their licence when they turn 70
GETTY
Another concerned motorist warned that geographical changes will make it harder to impose restrictions on elderly drivers.
Professor Julie-Anne Little, past chairman of the Association of Optometrists and research optometrist, said: "Sight changes are gradual, which means that many drivers are unaware that their vision has deteriorated over time.
"But having poor eyesight has been shown to slow reaction times and the ability to drive safely - and it doesn’t take much for one mistake to result in a serious collision with catastrophic consequences."
