Police say a car driven by a 91-year-old woman ‘came from behind’ and struck three pedestrians on the foot path, near a playground in Melbourne’s east on Thursday. A 59 year old woman, died at the scene while a man, 60, suffered life-threatening injuries alongside a two-year-old boy, who is now in a stable condition in hospital.

What seems to be another out of the blue motor vehicle accident resulting in death and injury committed by a old driver. This is not the first accident of this kind involving the elderly. Old people have driven off multistory car parks, left a straight road on a fine and sunny day, and ended up in a creek. They have crashed into peoples houses after taking a wrong turn, when is enough is enough? Just as we don't allow 11 year old's behind the wheel, for obvious safety reasons, maybe its time we bite the bullet with a new road rule for old people. You are now aged 80, happy birthday, here is a free bus ticket, DRIVING LICENCE CANCELLED!

Oh I am with you there Paul. The number of times I have witnessed elderly citizens at our local supermarket checkout struggle to find their correct card, then find the slot to insert it into and remember their pin before hobbling into the carpark, often with the aid of some walking device, trying to locate their car. It scares me.

What’s the answer? I don’t believe that a blanket restriction at age ‘x’ is the solution. However, I would suggest a compulsory driving test after the age of - say 75.

In NSW, drivers over 75 must do a compulsory medical assessment done by their doctor who can decide they are unfit to drive. But generally, if they are unsure, they send forms to the authorities who will then order a driving test. At 85 they get a bi-annual compulsory driving test. They can either retain the full licence, get a restricted licence that allows them to travel within a 10 klm radius of home, or lose the licence completely.

When my father was found to have dementia, he was slotted to take a compulsory drivers test preparatory to withdrawing his licence. But it was during the Covid hysteria and the testers from the Transport NSW weren't allowed to get in a car with the public. So no test. It was constantly postponed and never happened. In the end, I just took his car off him.

Might I point out that all the incidents Paul claims to have happened to old folk have also happened to people under 80. Age isn't the issue

Hi Aries54,

I probably agree, if you're not going to have an upper limit, absurdity, then why have a lower limit, if a kid aged 11 could pass a driving test, then why not give him a licence. I recall my elderly neighbour, who drove very infrequently, mostly short distances at a top speed of 30km or 40km. The woman had an accident is a quite street, when she drove smack bang up the arse of a parked car. Her defence was the sun was in her eyes. She did say she was not confident in driving at night, in rain, in busy streets, when it was sunny, when it was cloudy, in unfamiliar areas, in shopping centres, otherwise she was good to go. My old father-in law, driving in his 80's, pulled up at a set of traffic lights, managed to put the car into reverse, took off on the green light and smashed into the car behind. Refused to give details to the other driver, put on a donny and blamed her for being there, cops called claiming she drove into him, a witness said otherwise. The cops told the old fool they didn't believe his story, and gave him 2 fines. Another time he was backing out of a car space at the local shopping centre, he backed out, and backed out, and kept backing out until he smacked the parked car opposite, then pissed off. A witness got his rego and the coppers called around, he claimed he didn't even know he had hit another car, yet another fine.

What’s the answer?
Aries54,
In cities & towns the answer is better transport networks. In country areas age is generally not quite as much of a problem due to much less traffic & a much better driver mentality.
Road signage is a contributing factor in more accidents than there would be with less signage.
In Cairns for example, Street names are so badly positioned that drivers have to risk diverting attention from driving to finding streets. Car GPS are hardly ever up to date with the changes of streets. Poor parking arrangement is also a factor in minor accidents.
Only recently I drove the Bruce highway along the Cassowary Coast & I was amazed at the inconsiderate driving of tourists towing caravans & boats or trailers. I was on 100kmh in 100kmh zones & many of these drivers took quite some risks to get past me. They were doing 120 plus !
What mentality is that & where does it come from ? Had there been an accident the blame would have been attributed to the old driver.

In Australia, over 70% of drivers aged 80 and over continue to drive. While older drivers are not a major contributor to overall road casualty numbers, they are more likely to be at fault in crashes they are involved in. For example, drivers aged 80 and over were responsible for 79% of crashes resulting in life lost or serious injury that they were involved in.

One interesting stat is from the age of drivers 16 to 79 the number of serious accidents based on age steadily decreases as drivers get older, levels out from 60 to 79. BUT suddenly at the age of 80 the number dramatically increases from 6.4/10,000 for 70 to 79 to 10.7/10,000 for 80+. This is despite the 80+ plus group driving much less than others ages. The average driving distance per year in Australia is 12,000km, for 85+ drivers its 5,000km. Based on Km driven and the fatality and serious injury rates, a driver aged over 80 is 4 times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury accident than the average driver. Alarming!

The second pedestrian struck by the 91 year old woman, a 60 year old man has died in hospital. For me its beyond belief that anyone at that age should be still driving a car. Madness!

Bonger 1405, the Nimbin Xanadu Magnate.

You’re an ageist ; a nasty trait.

I’ve a mate over ninety who hasn’t to my knowledge, killed anybody yet: A man who drives himself long distances between his second home on the Gold Coast and a regional town four hours away.

He drives regularly and without incident locally and in the snarled traffic jambs of the Gold Coast, but was failed three times by the local regional RTA driving inspector.
This sordid event culminated in the man attending a full driving test in another regional town some distance away, which he passed with flying colours.

It’s become obvious, officialdom has a less than hidden agenda to take away the mobility of people over eighty five, by failing them on the flimsiest of evidence at their mandatory driving test.

What do you think of that injustice?

Here in WA people must take an annual medical review of their fitness to drive once they turn 80. That seems a reasonable compromise, though 80 may be a bit old. People with certain medical conditions may also be required to take a driving test or obtain a medical certificate.

Nuremberg Dan,

I'm sure you are quite safe driving around in your Panzer, I don't known about the rest of us. As for your old mate passing a driving test, you either pass or fail, there are no flying colours. People have gone as many as 15 times before passing the test. Your old mate failed because during the particular testing times he was incompetent, three strikes and out, no sneaking off to Hicksville and fudging the test, did any dosh change hands?

BTW, how about arguing the stats I gave you.

"I’ve a mate over ninety who hasn’t to my knowledge, killed anybody yet" Same mate ah, the operative word is 'YET" a ticking time bomb, given his repeated failures at driving competency. The good news is the majority of nonagenarian drivers don't kill anyone, they tend to fall off the perch first, before they get the chance!

Just as old decrepit unroadworthy cars are banned from the roads, so to should drivers of the same ilk be given a "yellow canary" on their foreheads as being unroadworthy

The Nimbin bongo vanner 1405.

Why do you grind your axe on the mill of old folk deserving of sympathy and understanding?

Begone with your hypocrisy. There is a war by the State against the aged of which you side,
But not a murmur from the chorus of hypocrites against the far more intimidating and treacherous youth of our once great Nation, straddled across the new and very unsafe menace on our roads of electric bikes and scooters.

A reckless band of unforgiving terrorists armed with these lethal electrical contraptions, free to roam highways, byways and footpaths at breakneck speeds with reckless abandon, and free of any controls by the same authority hell bent on persecuting the honourable law abiding elderly, humbly motoring around the same highways and byways compliantly obeying the road and safety rules and paying happily, taxes and charges applicable for the privilege of personal mobility, at great saving to the taxpayer who otherwise are saddled with the responsibility and expense.

And your statistics: at them I also scoff. It’s a poor argument that begs for statistics to prop up its failing case against fairness and equality that matters; the plight of old folk who having served their country with reliability and hardwork, are robbed of a vehicle in their fading years.
You expose yourself as a lesser person by joining the throng of cowards picking-off and persecuting aged drivers on our roads; shame on you.

Nuremberg Dan,

Old fogey's driving ungoverned, out of control electric scooters, tearing down the footpath at break your neck speed, crashing through the front doors of the bingo hall, heaven forbid! We already suffer the terror of the old fart behind the wheel of those cut down golf buggies in shopping centers, aka OFC's Ban Old Fart Carts!

Another resident in the village where I live did his biannual test
recently and passed for an unrestricted licence, no specticals required
and he is 95. His parking place a garage, is awkward to enter but he
manages ok.
He tells me that he is more cautious these days and one day he gave me
a lift to the shopping centre and his driving seemed perfectly normal.
It really is horses for courses.

Hi Bezza,

There is always exceptions to the rule, your 95 year old is an example. When people sit for a driving test, they don't always display their usual driving habits, for example the hoon driver doesn't do burn-outs with the examiner sitting next to him. The test may not be a real indication of a persons actual normal driving.

This happened near where I live, I drive under this 1.9m bridge almost everyday. Just as some are too old to drive, others may well be too young. Driving on our roads is a big responsibility, and I don't think enough people take that responsibility seriously enough.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14914421/Brisbane-car-crash-teenager-wynnum-tribute-gofundme.html