There were 550 serious accidents last year in which the driver was over the age of 70 and where the driver was killed or seriously injured, the Institute for Advanced Motorsports reports. This statistic represents 8% of the national total of 7,035 similar accidents. That means those 70 and older have more serious accidents per mile than any other segment of the population. This view is supported by the Association of British Insurers, whose research shows that drivers aged 70 and over are 13% more likely to claim their insurance than drivers aged 40-50.
With the number of older drivers set to double over the next ten years, this poses a problem for older drivers and their families, not to mention the insurance industry, the police, and indeed all insurance services! emergency!
You can probably predict the response from the insurance industry. Many insurance companies already consider drivers over the age of 80 to be just as high a risk as those under the age of 25, and charge premiums accordingly! Some are even charging premiums progressively once the driver reaches age 60. Then, at 70, you’ll find that many insurance companies simply refuse to offer coverage. Norwich Union and Esure are not listed after the age of 70 and when the driver reaches 80 the field narrows to specialist insurers insuring older drivers. Help the Aged and Age Concern, both market policies that do not have a higher maximum age. Cornhill only accepts new policyholders up to age 84, but if you have been insured by them for a few years, there is no upper age limit. RIAS and Saga are also happy to consider older drivers.
Because auto insurance pricing is based on historical claims experience, a 75-year-old driver can expect to pay at least 33% more than a 50-year-old. When the driver hits 80, the bonuses reach the levels of kid racers! So if he’s in his early 50’s, keep smiling with the lowest premiums he’ll ever experience, they won’t last forever!
And the weaker sex fare even worse. While younger women are known for their safe driving, they become more accident-prone as they age. While male drivers improve with age. (Where have we heard that before?) As a result, older women who drive pay the highest rates for car insurance.
It is a biological fact that eyesight and reaction times worsen with advancing age. And with increasingly dense traffic and increasingly complex road networks, older drivers can become more easily disoriented and confused. Even a fraction of a second delay can mean the difference between an accident and a near miss. Insurers are reacting by insisting that more older drivers have a medical exam before agreeing to provide insurance. The best advice is to create a no-claims registry and, as soon as possible, purchase Claims Protection. This protection costs a little more, but it is worth the money. Then make sure you pay for the little bumps yourself.
But there are some simple steps that older drivers, and in fact all drivers, can take to reduce the likelihood that they will be in an accident and therefore be more insurable. It’s often more about those little things and being alert to potential problems. For example, parking lots are a breeding ground for small accidents. Knowing that, be more careful. Before you get back in your car, walk around to see how much room you have. Then carefully back away, making sure other drivers in the parking lot do not enter the area you are moving into. So if the years have stiffened your neck and all-round visibility is a little more difficult, be especially careful at junctions and when reversing. Remember to move your head and turn your shoulders, this will increase the range of your vision.
Many senior motorist policies contain special provisions designed to help them. On Saga’s policy, for example, former company car drivers can use any no-claims record they’ve created, and if a couple is insured and the primary driver decides to stop driving, then the spouse can take over the no-claims record. . Other policies also provide full insurance coverage for anyone taking over the driving in an emergency. Cornhill will even pay £250 if the DVLA prevents you from driving due to age-associated health problems.
In action to reduce the number of accidents involving older people, the UK government is looking into the problem of deteriorating health among older drivers. You seem to be considering the idea of mandatory health checks for older motorists. At the same time, some municipalities are introducing their own initiatives. Torbay Council have launched a scheme to encourage families and GPs to take more responsibility to encourage older drivers who are not really fit to give up. A Torbay council road safety spokesman said: “The problem is that the elderly can’t always see themselves when it’s really time to stop driving, so those closest to them need to take responsibility.”
Meanwhile, a survey by the Institute for Advanced Motorists confirms that older motorists are aware that they pose a higher crash risk. Seven in 10 older drivers surveyed said they would like to take a refresher course in highway driving skills and six in 10 wanted to improve their performance at junctions and on unlit roads. In response to these issues, the Institute has extended its advanced testing to older non-members to encourage them to improve and build confidence. The tests also help detect any serious issues that should encourage the driver to pack up driving.
