Roadside tests for older drivers
Discussion
More 'common sense' from Brunstrom. See below.
He seems unaware the older drivers generally are safer drivers. Ask any insurance company.
Many older drivers will never have played a computer game, which is what this "reaction meter" will likely be, so we could have a situation where a kid of 7 could pass the test but a 55 year old would fail.
Which of these is likely to be the safest driver?
S Times
May 23, 2004
Reaction tests for older drivers
Dipesh Gadher, Transport Correspondent
56b314.jpg
GOVERNMENT scientists have developed a prototype of an "impairment-ometer", a hand-held device which may be used to crack down on elderly motorists who
drive erratically on Britain's roads.
The chief constable in charge of road policing claims the implement may help detect the slow reactions of some older drivers whose bodies are "slowly shutting down". The device will also be used to conduct roadside tests on the reaction times of drivers suspected of being exhausted or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The meter is being refined at the Home Office's Police Scientific Development Branch in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and is believed to involve push-button responses to a visual image. Drivers who fail to display quick enough reaction times could face fines or even bans.
"This device is coming down the pipeline to us very soon and it will test whether you are capable of driving or not, for whatever reason," says
Richard Brunstrom, chief constable of North Wales and head of road policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers.
In an interview in the Driving section of today's Sunday Times, Brunstrom adds: "To drive properly, you need to have quick reactions and to be able
to multitask.
"When you get older, your brain cells die and your body is slowly shutting down. Your reaction times are simply not going to be as good. We know tiredness is a problem, but we don't yet know the impact of age. We need to find out."
Brunstrom, who has already courted controversy over his hardline support for speed cameras, has previously described impairment as the biggest factor in road deaths after speeding. He believes that the impairment meter could bring about "a sea change" in road policing.
A driving licence is valid until the age of 70, but must then be renewed every three years. However, there is no requirement for elderly motorists
to resit the driving test.
Earlier this month Mary Limond, 75, a widow and grandmother from Bearsden, Glasgow, was fined £200 and given six penalty points on her licence after
police found her driving along a busy trunk road at little more than 5mph. Limond, who pleaded guilty to careless driving, said she was lost and was
having difficulty seeing at dusk because of a new pair of glasses.
The impairment meter will be tested on motorists in off-road trials in six months' time, but is unlikely to be rolled out across police forces until
2006.
Brunstrom's comments have angered campaigners for older people. A spokeswoman for Help the Aged said: "His comments are very age discriminatory and prejudiced, when actually older drivers are less likely to be drink-drivers, they're less likely to be speeding and in general they have a very good safety record."
He seems unaware the older drivers generally are safer drivers. Ask any insurance company.
Many older drivers will never have played a computer game, which is what this "reaction meter" will likely be, so we could have a situation where a kid of 7 could pass the test but a 55 year old would fail.
Which of these is likely to be the safest driver?
S Times
May 23, 2004
Reaction tests for older drivers
Dipesh Gadher, Transport Correspondent
56b314.jpg
GOVERNMENT scientists have developed a prototype of an "impairment-ometer", a hand-held device which may be used to crack down on elderly motorists who
drive erratically on Britain's roads.
The chief constable in charge of road policing claims the implement may help detect the slow reactions of some older drivers whose bodies are "slowly shutting down". The device will also be used to conduct roadside tests on the reaction times of drivers suspected of being exhausted or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The meter is being refined at the Home Office's Police Scientific Development Branch in St Albans, Hertfordshire, and is believed to involve push-button responses to a visual image. Drivers who fail to display quick enough reaction times could face fines or even bans.
"This device is coming down the pipeline to us very soon and it will test whether you are capable of driving or not, for whatever reason," says
Richard Brunstrom, chief constable of North Wales and head of road policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers.
In an interview in the Driving section of today's Sunday Times, Brunstrom adds: "To drive properly, you need to have quick reactions and to be able
to multitask.
"When you get older, your brain cells die and your body is slowly shutting down. Your reaction times are simply not going to be as good. We know tiredness is a problem, but we don't yet know the impact of age. We need to find out."
Brunstrom, who has already courted controversy over his hardline support for speed cameras, has previously described impairment as the biggest factor in road deaths after speeding. He believes that the impairment meter could bring about "a sea change" in road policing.
A driving licence is valid until the age of 70, but must then be renewed every three years. However, there is no requirement for elderly motorists
to resit the driving test.
Earlier this month Mary Limond, 75, a widow and grandmother from Bearsden, Glasgow, was fined £200 and given six penalty points on her licence after
police found her driving along a busy trunk road at little more than 5mph. Limond, who pleaded guilty to careless driving, said she was lost and was
having difficulty seeing at dusk because of a new pair of glasses.
The impairment meter will be tested on motorists in off-road trials in six months' time, but is unlikely to be rolled out across police forces until
2006.
Brunstrom's comments have angered campaigners for older people. A spokeswoman for Help the Aged said: "His comments are very age discriminatory and prejudiced, when actually older drivers are less likely to be drink-drivers, they're less likely to be speeding and in general they have a very good safety record."
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff