Drivers have to obey speed limits, which are signposted along roadsides and above multi-lane highways.
When it comes to age limits, however, the situation is a little more complicated.
States and territories across Australia are fairly consistent at the younger end of the driving spectrum. In most, you can start preparing for the road at 16.
But jurisdictions differ much more markedly in their expectations regarding older drivers — a state of affairs which doesn’t reflect what University of New South Wales dementia expert Kaarin Anstey describes as the “U-shaped curve” in road crash stats.
“The drivers who have the most crashes are the young drivers up to [the age of] 25, and then the older drivers particularly in their 80s and over, but it does start to creep up in the 70s,” she said.
“People tend to overestimate their driving ability. We don’t really know why, but I think it may be because you don’t get any feedback unless you have a crash.”
This reality was recently highlighted by a case in South Australia involving a 97-year-old who had been deemed “medically fit” to drive but, for purely precautionary reasons, was advised by her doctor to sit a test for a “general check”.
In the course of two assessments in 2023, she made a multitude of errors and amassed hundreds of penalty points, and subsequently had her licence revoked — a decision she appealed, but which a tribunal upheld.
The tribunal, which found the woman was of “excellent mental and physical fitness”, explained that the suspension of her licence was solely because of her lack of driving skills, as demonstrated by her test scores.
What do the stats show?
One reason why older driving is an emerging challenge for Australia is the nation’s demography.
“The population is aging in Australia, the population is growing,” said University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) researcher Kyle Schofield.
“More older drivers are driving later, so there is a higher proportion that are licensed later into their lives.”
A 2020 survey by research company Roy Morgan indicated “considerable growth” in the number of older Australians on the road, with more than 70 per cent of people still driving beyond the age of 80.
Studies have repeatedly reported an over-representation of older Australians in fatal crash statistics.
The most recent national crash data shows that of the 1,295 Australians killed on the roads in the past year, more than a fifth (294) were aged 65 or above.
A joint paper by UNSW and National Seniors Australia noted that the over-70 age group not only had fatality rates “equivalent to those of drivers aged 17-25”, but that they were at higher risk of serious injury because of frailty.
“The most common crash for an older driver is turning right,” Professor Anstey told ABC Radio.
“It’s when you find yourself in a complicated situation, you have to make a decision under pressure, make a judgement about the gap in the road and the speed of the other oncoming traffic.
“It could be complicated by poorer vision as well. As you get older, you do have more trouble seeing contrast and that makes it more difficult to see at night.”
Concerns like these were among the motivating factors behind South Australia Police’s “Don’t Stop Driving By Accident” campaign.
A five-year review of crash data in that state found that while people over 70 made up 14 per cent of the population, they accounted for 22 per cent of lives lost on the road.
This SA Police road safety ad aimed at senior drivers was released in 2022.
While older drivers were “generally more cautious” and less prone to recklessness, the likelihood of them being at fault in the crashes they were involved in increased with age:
“Over the past five years, 56 per cent of drivers aged 60-69 involved in crashes resulting in life lost or serious injury were responsible, drivers aged 70-79 were responsible in 73 per cent of cases and drivers aged 80 years and over were responsible in 79 per cent of cases.”
Those numbers are broadly consistent with fresh research by insurer AAMI, which crunched the numbers on 10 years’ worth of motor insurance claims.
It found that drivers over 65 were the most likely to be involved in crashes, with 26 per cent of claims attributed to that demographic.
What are the rules?
In Australia, it isn’t the case that once you get the keys to the car, you’re set for life.
Different states and territories impose different obligations on older drivers to demonstrate their ongoing aptitude.Older drivers drive shorter distances to avoid on-road test
Photo shows An elderly woman in a white suit stands in front of a small white car.
NSW is the only state to offer modified licences as the government aims to strike a balance between elderly people maintaining their independence and managing risk.
But the rules vary widely across the country — some states, for example, require drivers to undertake annual medical check-ups, while others are considerably less prescriptive.
To help older drivers navigate the system, UNSW recently launched an online portal that sets out state and territory regulations.
According to the website, older drivers in Queensland must carry a “completed and current medical certificate” whenever they get behind the wheel, while in WA, they are required to have a medical assessment every year from 80 onwards and may be asked to sit a test.
That last requirement is also in effect in NSW from 75, where older drivers also have the option of seeking modified licences that permit them to keep travelling on the road within certain geographical limits. Drivers for class C vehicles over the age of 85 are required to do a test every two years. If a driver is on a modified licence they may not have to do this test.
Tasmania and Victoria, on the other hand, impose “no additional licensing requirements for drivers based on age”, the website states — but those jurisdictions demand that medical conditions that could affect driving be reported to the relevant authorities.
In South Australia, drivers who are 85 or older can be requested by a doctor to take a practical test.
But licence holders with no recorded medical conditions are, from age 75, only required to complete an annual self-assessment notification.
“People are asked to self-report — they have a form that they fill out to say if they do have an illness,” Australian Medical Association SA branch president John Williams told ABC Radio.
“If they report it inaccurately, there’s no way to capture that at the moment, so that’s a potential gap.”
Adelaide GP Stephanie Daly, who has an interest in dementia and cognitive disorders, said the vast variation in standards was a problem.
“I find it interesting that we assume that everybody is driving, and following all the road rules, perfectly when they’ve only ever really undergone one assessment, usually in their teenage years,” she said.
“It would be good to have a standardised approach across the whole country because obviously it’s inequitable if in some areas it’s a self-assessment and in other areas there’s mandatory assessment.”
Should drivers resit tests?
One suggested solution is lessons for older drivers — an approach supported by the results of a pilot study conducted by Professor Anstey.
“Some of us are not up to date with road rules, we may not realise that we’ve got a habit that actually needs fixing, so that’s part of our intervention,” she said.
“We found that older drivers who received two tailored driving lessons improved their driving skills, which gave them a higher safety rating on an on-road test.”Men, over-65s have most car crashes
Photo shows Jon Doust
A study looking at a decade’s worth of motor insurance claims finds men and drivers aged over 65 are the most likely to be behind the wheel when accidents occur.
Professor Anstey said some older drivers were opting to take refresher courses off their own bat.
“At the moment individuals are paying for that. I guess there’s other funding models that could be looked at, like insurance companies,” she said.
“I doubt it’s something the government will pick up, but we need the best data we can get to inform the most cost-effective way of us maintaining our skill.”
The AMA’s SA chief described later-life driving lessons as the “ultimate test” for assessing competence, but said there was one key factor that counted against them.
“Budgetary considerations are always on the government’s mind, so everyone having a test and everyone having an examination is potentially a costly exercise,” Dr Williams said.
Should there be an age limit?
Not according to Professor Anstey.
“It’s really difficult to use age alone,” she said.
“It really has to come down to skill [because] people age quite differently.
“Once you move into the over-90s, there would be fewer and fewer people who would meet the standard — but it is possible to have someone who’s very old who can pass a driving test or may have a restricted licence.”
National Seniors Australia agreed that, while age can be a factor in driving, it’s not the best way to frame the question.
“It’s not really about how old somebody is,” CEO Chris Grice said.
Mr Grice said the prevalence of hoon driving and the growing size of SUVs were equally, if not more, valid factors to consider.
“Regrettably there are too many people out there, regardless of age, who are in a hurry,” he said.
“They’re angry, they’re frustrated, they’re distracted.”
Preparing for driver retirement
One of the big reasons why older drivers might be reluctant to relinquish their licences is the fear of social exclusion.
“Australia’s quite a car-centric society, and if people can’t drive, they’re then socially isolated,” Dr Daly said.
UniSC’s public health researcher Kyle Schofield agreed.
“One of the fears about driver retirement is losing independence,” she said.
“A lot of drivers keep driving later in life because they don’t see a solution for getting around.”
Ms Schofield has conducted research into driver retirement and the ways in which older Australians are supported to prepare for life beyond the road.
She said that, at present, there was considerable room for improvement.
“We, in our research, definitely found that family members generally were not giving feedback to older drivers on their driving,” she said.
“There is a fear of hurting this person that you love’s feelings and damaging a relationship.
“Family members, friends and even doctors — even family GPs — really aren’t having those conversations.”
Ms Schofield said there were steps policy makers could take to be part of the solution, such as ensuring reliable public transport and backing initiatives to support the elderly.
But broaching the subject with loved ones is a crucial first step.
“There’s really good evidence that conversations about driving retirement are an important motivating factor in actually planning for [it],” Ms Schofield said.
“It’s not, ‘Mum, we’ve noticed that your driving looks a bit unsafe and now we’re going to take away your driver’s licence’ — it’s years and years before that and it’s just saying, ‘When the time comes, mum, have you thought about how you’re going to get to the shops?’
“Keeping these drivers as safe as possible is vital for everybody.”
