As Australia’s population ages, the question of how to ensure elderly drivers remain safe on our roads becomes increasingly urgent. With more drivers over 75 navigating increasingly busy streets, the potential for age-related impairments, such as declining vision, slower reflexes, or cognitive conditions like dementia, to cause catastrophic accidents is a growing concern.
While many older Australians drive safely, the absence of consistent, mandatory safeguards across the nation leaves dangerous gaps in road safety. A patchwork of state and territory regulations, some robust and others alarmingly lax, creates uneven protection for all road users.
News of a tragic crash in Victoria’s eastern suburbs last week where a 91-year-old driver’s loss of control claimed two lives and injured a toddler, has ignited hot debate around this issue which has long been a topic of contention.
To prevent such tragedies, Australia must adopt stricter, uniform laws for elderly drivers, with New South Wales’ rigorous medical and driving assessments as a minimum standard.
A foggy windshield
Ageing brings physical and cognitive changes that can impair driving ability. Vision deterioration, reduced reaction times, and conditions like dementia or arthritis are well-documented risks.
While many older drivers self-regulate, avoiding night driving or busy highways, these measures rely on self-awareness, which cognitive decline can undermine.
Without mandatory assessments, unfit drivers may remain on the road until a crash occurs. In 2019, the Transport Accident Commission reported that drivers over 70 accounted for 18% of driver fatalities in Victoria, despite being a smaller demographic, and 41% of pedestrian deaths were over 70, highlighting their vulnerability in crashes.
This is not about ageism; it’s about acknowledging that age-related declines are statistically significant and can have deadly consequences if unaddressed.
The tragedy that unfolded in Victoria last week, where a 91-year-old woman lost control of her Toyota Yaris, veered onto a footpath, and struck a 59-year-old woman, her 60-year-old husband, and their two-year-old grandson, underscores this danger.
The grandmother died at the scene, the grandfather later succumbed to injuries, and the toddler was seriously injured. The car travelled 200 metres, crashing through a playground fence, with police investigating a possible medical episode. This incident, part of a grim week in Victoria where an elderly pedestrian was also killed crossing the road.
However, this is not just a Victorian problem, it’s a national one, with inconsistent rules failing to protect Australians uniformly.
Australia’s patchwork approach
Australia’s state-based licensing systems create a disjointed approach to elderly driver safety. Some states have robust safeguards, while others rely on inadequate self-regulation:
NSW’s system, with its mandatory medical checks and driving tests, sets a high standard. Queensland and the ACT also prioritise regular medical oversight, while Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory lag, relying on self-reporting that fails to catch impairments early.
This inconsistency leaves Australians vulnerable, as a driver deemed unfit in NSW could legally drive in Victoria without scrutiny.
International models
Globally, stricter safeguards offer lessons for Australia:
These systems use regular, objective assessments to ensure safety while offering restricted licences to maintain independence. Australia’s less proactive states could adopt similar measures, with NSW’s framework as a starting point.
Debunking the “Safer Seniors” myth
Some researchers, like Matthew Baldock from the University of Adelaide, argue older drivers have lower crash rates, citing Victoria Police data showing 145 road deaths and over 7,000 injuries caused by drivers aged 65 and older in the five years to June 2023.
Baldock claims older drivers have the lowest crash rate per licensed driver, partly because they drive less frequently. Swinburne University’s Amie Hayley similarly found no meaningful crash reduction from mandatory assessments. These arguments, however, are flawed:
These flaws highlight that low crash rates do not equal low risk. With Australia’s roads growing busier, relying on self-regulation is reckless.
Safety before sentiment
Senior advocates, such as Ben Rogers of the Council on the Ageing Victoria, label mandatory testing as “ageist,” arguing that ability, not age, should determine licensing. This view prioritises sentiment over safety.
Age-related impairments are a statistical reality, and testing ensures only capable drivers, of any age, remain licensed. If a 45-year-old with poor reflexes can lose their licence, a 91-year-old with similar issues should face the same scrutiny.
Concerns about isolation from licence loss are valid but can be addressed through restricted licences, driver-awareness programmes, or improved public transport, not by avoiding necessary safeguards. Public safety must outweigh fears of causing offence.
Time for a new engine
Australia needs a unified approach, with NSW’s model as a minimum. A proposed framework includes:
The Wantirna South tragedy, like others before it, is a stark reminder of the cost of inaction. Australia cannot afford a patchwork system where safety depends on where you live.
By adopting NSW’s rigorous standards nationally, we can protect lives while respecting capable older drivers. It’s time to prioritise safety over sentiment and ensure our roads are safe for all.
I’m from NSW and the laws here don’t need any changing or updating. The problem in this state is not the elderly drivers, but the younger ones. This is where we require tougher laws.
In my regional Queensland city (Cairns) the issue that should be focused on first is young (mostly) P platers. Friday and Saturday nights ( especially) is a cacophony of screeching tyres and modified exhaust systems, with evidence of their mindless idiocy being the black tyre marks defacing ordinary suburban neighbourhood roads.
Of course it’s not all, but even if it’s a small cohort, how can it be such a regular routine occurrence with seemingly no police intervention? There is an obvious solution; permanently confiscate their cars. It would stop immediately.
Yes, age affected drivers are sometimes unsafe and cause tragic accidents and that must be managed. But deal with road safety by prioritising the most dangerous issues first. 1/ Hooning 2/ the eg: Bruce Highway (bad roads responsible for more accidents than all other issues combined) 3/ unroadworthy vehicles (there’s some shockers which never seem to get flagged).
Add to your own list for numbers 4, 5, 6, etc. My bet is that elderly drivers (who are such an easy and cheap target to target) will around number 9 on your list.
Research has shown that the human brain does not fully mature until around the age of 23. Despite this, we issue driver’s licences to 16-year-olds and entrust them with vehicles that, when misused, can become lethal weapons.
Unfortunately, young drivers are disproportionately involved in dangerous behaviours such as speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, engaging in illegal street racing and burnouts, and overloading vehicles with passengers—all of which contribute to serious accidents. Nightly news reports often feature tragic crashes involving young drivers, while similar incidents involving older drivers are far less common.
If we are going to impose additional restrictions or assessments on older drivers due to perceived safety risks, it would only be fair and reasonable to apply similar scrutiny to younger drivers. Otherwise, such policies risk being seen as ageist.
So are you also suggesting younger drivers get tested for ubstance abuse every year? If not I think you are bein ageist.
Every person driving randomly gets tested for substance abuse. Testing older drivers is ageist, but it is also common sense in most countries. I would prefer the risk of offending someone rather than risking someone’s safety.
Your idea about regular testing has merit and Victoria if you have a disability you are checked every year
A however I would be much more accepting of your proposal if the same applied across all the drivers from people places will learn a pirates through to their 80s they have more crashes and more deaths and their appears to be no public sentence sentiment about getting them ofthe road