In Sweden the same rules apply to older and younger driving license holders. Renewing or obtaining a driving license as an older person does not require special health examinations, which is required in some other countries.
“There is no research to show that it is better to introduce general age limits than to revoke driving licenses for purely medical reasons,” says Helena Selander, a researcher at VTI, Statens väg and Transport Research Institute, and lecturer in rehabilitation medicine at the University of Gothenburg, who studies older drivers.
On the other hand, there are illnesses and injuries that mean that you do not meet the medical requirements for a driver’s license.
– Natural aging causes such diseases to increase. Especially among those we call older people, says Helena Selander.
There are no statistics showing that older drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents. Helena Selander explains that older people are often more careful on the roads and choose to drive in safer traffic conditions.
– You have more experience and avoid going out on the road when it is slippery or dark, for example.
When they are involved in accidents, they are often incidents involving pedestrians and cyclists, she explains.
– We don’t know why, it could be that as an older person it is more difficult to look to the side or that they drive during the day in areas where there are many vulnerable road users.
A problem indicates this Helena Selander on – Many older drivers don’t drive enough. It’s good to keep your knowledge up to date.
– For many couples it is the man who drives. But it’s good to think about sharing. The danger is that the woman has too little driving experience if she becomes alone or the man can no longer drive, says Helena Selander
She receives support from Andrea Höbenreich Sjöstedt from NTF, who runs the “Take back the Wheel” project for women over 65.
– For many older people, the car means freedom and independence at the same time. Stopping driving in old age because you don’t dare can mean a reduction in your quality of life, she says.
Andrea Höbenreich Sjöstedt leads courses for older people with theory and practice. She primarily meets women.
– They have had a driving license for a long time, but have so little driving experience that they don’t dare go on the road. Suddenly they find themselves alone or with a man who is no longer allowed to drive, she says.
Andrea Höbenreich Sjöstedt says that many people find traffic more stressful today than when they were younger and drove more often.
– But they wouldn’t have experienced it if they had been behind the wheel more often. I think driving every other time is a good way for both of them to maintain their skills.
There are studies on this shows that the decision to buy a car with an automatic transmission has a major impact on road safety, especially for older people.
– It is quite clear that older people in particular find it easier not to have to think about the change.
At the same time, Andrea Höbenreich Sjöstedt is sometimes afraid of all the technology that is in newer cars. She believes it can actually be a good help for older drivers.
– It can feel like you have to keep track of a lot of different features when you’re on top. But when you sit down and really go through the technology in the car and learn to understand it, driving feels much safer, she says.
