More than 20 drivers aged 100 are still on Kiwi roads as ageing population prompts plea for caution
Saturday, 17 April 2021
As New Zealand’s driving population ages, Age Concern Auckland is urging families to intervene when elderly relatives seem risky on the road.
New Zealand has 23 centenarian drivers - 14 men and nine women.
All hold current driving licences, with most (9) in Auckland. The group is among 662,935 licensed drivers aged 65 and over in New Zealand.
Figures released by Waka Kotahi NZTA reveal four centenarians were involved in minor crashes in the past decade.
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However, crash numbers for 2020 and 2021 are provisional due to a lag in data being entered into the Crash Analysis System, an agency spokesman said.
Meanwhile, young drivers pose the highest risk of being involved in a smash, according NZTA data detailing crashes reported to police.
In 2019, drivers aged 16-24 were involved in 71 fatal crashes, 612 serious injury collisions and 3,058 minor injury smashes.
The number of elderly drivers is set to surge with a quarter of the country’s population on track to be aged 65 years and over by 2030.
Age Concern Auckland chief executive Kevin Lamb is calling senior road users to enroll in Staying Safe courses, run by the group with Waka Kotahi NZTA, to boost driving safety for over 70s.
Families also should step in when they believed it was time for elderly loved ones to hang up the car keys permanently, he said.
“I think it's important for us all to not just simply step back and grit our teeth and hope and pray that things are OK but to actually say, ‘look, I'm worried.’”
“It’s very much down to what the individual feels they’re able to do, and we need to assist people to be as independent as possible,” he said.
“So I think someone who’s 102, who’s driving a car still absolutely safely, we should celebrate that.”
The road safety senior manager of Waka Kotahi NZTA, Fabian Marsh, said while younger drivers were involved in many more crashes than seniors, the safety of older New Zealand drivers was increasingly important given the ageing population.
Older people were more at risk of being seriously injured or killed in a crash due to increasing fragility, Marsh said.
For many older people driving is key to independence and many seniors relied on their cars for shopping, appointments or visiting family.
“These concerns must be balanced with the recognition that the ageing process can affect a range of skills essential to driving, including eyesight, memory, decision-making and reaction times.”
Senior drivers must renew their licence at the age of 75 and 80 and then every two years after that.
A medical certificate has to be presented each time a person re-applies for their licence and if recommended by a doctor, a 30-minute road safety test is arranged.