A project to evaluate standardized assessments of mature drivers

An independent evaluation of the implementation and delivery of standardised mature driver assessments will aim to measure the road safety benefits and inform the wider rollout of these programmes.

The review, funded by the Road Safety Trust, will be carried out by the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety (PACTS) in partnership with the Older Driver Task Force (ODTF), Older Drivers Forum and the University of Warwick.

The number of drivers aged 60 and over is increasing. While the aging process should not be seen as a barrier to driving, a number of related issues have been found to increase the risk. These include declining eyesight, reduced flexibility, decreased cognitive function or memory, and increased use of medications.

In response, several local authorities have developed older driver roadside assessment schemes which aim to help mature drivers ‘drive safer for longer’.

However, there is currently no standardised approach to carrying out assessments and there is a lack of evidence that these programmes deliver road safety benefits.

The project will test and evaluate a standardised mature driver assessment carried out by trained driving instructors in five regions across the country: Buckinghamshire, Cheshire West and Chester, Gloucestershire, Leeds and Warwickshire.

The independent evaluation will investigate the feasibility and acceptability of conducting standardised assessments and measure road safety outcomes such as safe following and hazard perception skills among older drivers.

The pilot project will run for several years and the project team will publish the results once it is completed.

If the trial is successful, recommendations will be made for wider implementation of standardised assessments for mature drivers.

Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, said: “Evaluating road safety interventions is essential to ensuring we make positive progress and are able to demonstrate best practice so that it can be shared and benefited nationally and internationally.

“Thanks to the Road Safety Trust, we have appointed an expert team to review this work to help older drivers continue to use the roads safely.”

Rob Heard, chairman and founder of the Older Drivers Forum, said: “As we get older, we can become less confident when driving and develop bad habits.

“We have long believed that driving assessments are a great way for older drivers to find out if they can still drive safely, as well as helping those who are losing confidence behind the wheel.

“We are concerned that many non-medical assessments or assessments vary in standard, cost and length, which can cause confusion. We fully support this Standardised Mature Driving Assessment project and look forward to its findings.”

Dr Carol Hawley, Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Warwick School of Medicine, said: “Ian Edwards and I from New View Consultants are thrilled to be undertaking this multi-centre review of standardised assessments of mature driving skills on behalf of PACTS with funding from The Road Safety Trust.

“We will collect feedback from drivers undergoing driving assessments, as well as feedback from driving instructors and assessment administrators, using a range of measures to determine the acceptability, usefulness and feasibility of this unified approach and its impact on road safety.”

The funding was provided as part of the Road Safety Trust’s autumn funding round for 2023.

Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, said: “As the number of older drivers on Britain’s roads increases, so do efforts to keep them safe.

“This project will assess the road safety benefits of mature driver assessment, with the aim of improving standards across the country.”

More information about the project can be found on the Road Safety Trust website.

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