Would you be willing to take driving lessons in your 50s and beyond?
Most of us have been driving since we were teens. As a country kid, I learnt to drive when I was 13.
But would you benefit from driving lessons now? Well, research says you probably would and the study authors are recommending driving lessons restart as early as 50.
UNSW Sydney’s latest research into older driver behaviour is finding that tailored driving lessons can improve older driver performance and safety on the road.
Expert in ageing Professor Kaarin Anstey has been involved in several projects researching older driver safety at UNSW Sydney. Her team at the UNSW-affiliated institute, Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), has recently completed a randomised controlled trial of older drivers – called the Better Drive Study – to see whether driving skills can be improved despite the physical and cognitive challenges of old age.
Higher rate of crashes
“We know that older drivers have higher rates of crashes than middle-aged drivers,” Prof. Anstey says.
“And we see an uptick of crashes particularly in the over-80s. But until recently, the way that has been managed is through regulation, in license removal, which is basically an all-or-nothing approach. But for some older drivers, they got their license when they were 16 and they tell you they learnt to drive in a paddock. And now the driving environments have completely changed, cars have changed, and they’ve never done any refresher courses.”
Using drivers aged over 65, the study put one part of the cohort through driving training as a ‘control’ group. A second group was videoed as they drove, and any errors were played back to them after they drove and the third group was videoed, given feedback and specialised lessons tailored to their mistakes.
Researchers followed up with the drivers for 12 months to see if their driving improved over time. The final results are still to be analysed, but earlier research supports the proposal for driver training.
From unsafe to safe drivers
“In our pilot study, which was very similar, we found that of the people who had our intervention involving driving lessons and video feedback, we moved a significant proportion from unsafe to safe drivers, and we reduced their driving errors,” Prof. Anstey says.
However, the researchers admit not all mistakes were necessarily due to the effects of old age.
“A lot of these are just bad habits that drivers have brought with them from their younger years,” Prof. Anstey says.
“We see a lot of people not checking blind spots, not taking right hand turns properly, cutting corners, or not maintaining their lane position … in our study drivers get to practice the errors, which I think is quite powerful. They’re not just being told what they’re doing wrong and what not to do. They’re actually getting a chance to learn to do it the right way.”
While enforced driving lessons for older Australians is just pie in the sky at the moment, Prof. Anstey’s team has launched a website for older drivers – Ageing Well on the Road – that is packed with information to help older drivers throughout Australia navigate the rules and regulations of their state.
More intervention
Prof. Anstey said she would like to see intervention and improving driving skills for older drivers become an accepted part of having a licence.
“People don’t naturally ask themselves ‘do I need to update my driving skills’?,” she said.
“The idea is that we need to put some effort into improving our driving and maintaining our skills, and it shouldn’t be stigmatised at all.
“It could be something like, when you turn 50 you’re invited to have an extra driving lesson just to check in on your driving. At the moment you’d only get that if you had something wrong with your driving. It’d be better to make it a normal part of life.”
Would you be happy taking driving lessons in your 50s? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: Is your car spying on you?
