Thursday, 25 August 2011

Compulsory annual driving tests for Tasmanian motorists aged 85 years or older will end from early October, because it is discriminatory and has a significant impact on the lives of older drivers.

The Minister for Infrastructure, David O'Byrne, said a review of the older driver licensing system has found that older drivers are not a major road safety problem in Tasmania, and are not over-represented in crash statistics.

"Between 2005 and 2009, drivers aged between 75 and 84 were involved in 4.1% of serious casualty crashes and drivers 85 and over in just 1.3% of serious casualty crashes," he said.

"Normal ageing doesn't mean a driver is more likely to be involved in a crash and compulsory testing is therefore not improving road safety.

"Older drivers tend to drive less, make shorter trips, drive in low traffic volumes, drive in good driving conditions and low speed zones and choose less hazardous roads."

As part of the Review of Older Driver Licensing, there was a month-long public consultation process, with 61 submissions received from individuals and organisations.

"It is important that older drivers are treated the same as all other drivers, and undertake assessments for the same reasons as other drivers," Mr O'Byrne said.

"We recognise the importance of helping older Tasmanians remain mobile for as long as possible, provided that they are safe."

"Driving helps to keep people connected to their community, improves quality of life and increases self-esteem."

"As people get older, they do expect to be able to drive - having had access to a driver licence and been dependent on cars for most of their adult lives."

"Improvements in technology and vehicle safety features should enable them to drive more safely for longer."

Mr O'Byrne said any driver, regardless of age, with certain medical conditions affecting the ability to drive safely, would still be subject to periodic medical assessments and sometimes driving assessments.

He said that there will be an extensive public information campaign to inform the community of the changes and further details would be announced during Seniors Week in October.