Driving-test ordeal for elderly may end

A system of conferences is proposed to replace the unpopular testing regime for elderly drivers.

The two-yearly tests for over-80s prompted Grey Power to take a case to the Human Rights Commission on the grounds that testing by age contravened the Bill of Rights.

The Government is now considering Grey Power's proposal for a system where the elderly would go through something like a family group conference rather than the testing.

Grey Power policy chairwoman Carole Gordon, of Tauranga, has researched the testing regime and found possible flaws in the methodology used to justify the tests, prompting a Government review expected to be finished by June.

"We are hopeful the Ministry of Transport will trial something in Tauranga," she said.

Western Bay Grey Power spokesman Noel Warner backed the proposal to monitor rather than test over-80s, saying the emphasis should be on guidance, not intimidation.

He still saw a need for a compulsory safety net to round up those who should not be on the road.

Ms Gordon said seven out of 10 drivers aged 80-plus passed their first test, climbing to 93 per cent after two or more attempts.

There had been no significant difference in the number of accidents involving elderly people since the testing regime was introduced five years ago.

"What is the point of the policy? Why do we bother putting people through all this?"

A conference approach would work through issues and options so that it was the driver who made the decision to give up, she said.

The present system created so much anxiety that it led to ill-health among elderly drivers.

"Imagine the social impact of suddenly not having a car - how do you manage life?"

The outcome of a group conference might be to help a driver to deal with situations like intersections, or prepare for life without a licence.

- NZPA