A fifth more over-90s have given up driving after 98-year-old Prince Philip’s car crash last year
- DVLA figures show there were 118,000 drivers aged over 90 on the road last year
- The number had increased by 8,000 from the previous year
- However, there was still a 21 per cent increase on drivers giving up their licence
Older drivers are increasingly giving up their driving licences following Prince Philip’s car accident which led to him leaving the roads.
Experts believe that his crash in January 2019, when his Land Rover Freelander collided with another vehicle in Sandringham, has helped influence older drivers to quit driving.
The Duke was 97-years-old at the time of the crash and although he blamed the incident on dazzling from the sun, he chose to give up his licence just three weeks later.
Prince Philip leaves hospital following his car crash in January 2019
Steve Wilkie, the executive chairman of Responsible Life, a retirement mortgage specialist, said in a Times report: ‘Prince Philip’s misfortunes seem to have jogged a great number of people into confronting this difficult decision head on’.
Statistics published under the Freedom of Information Act for Responsible Life, showed that 8,014 drivers aged 90 and above gave up their licence in 2019, a 21.2 per cent increase from the previous year.
Figures released by the DVLA in December showed that there were over 118,000 drivers aged 90 or over on Britain’s roads.
Another possible factor to the increase of over 90s drivers giving up their licences comes in the rise of elder UK drivers from 2018 to 2019.
Prince Philip’ collided with another vehicle while out driving in Sandringham in January 2019
Over 90s road users rose by 8,000 from 110,000 while there was a leap of 159,000 drivers in the age range of 70-79 to around 4,032,000.
There was also a slight rise in figures for those in their 80s, with an increase of 64,000 to 1,374,000.
Despite an increase in people willing to give up their licences, the government are still drawing up plans to test older drivers over their fitness behind the wheel.
These include compulsory eye tests every three years for those over 70.
At present, driving licences expire at 70-years-old and must be renewed every three years. Although they must ensure their eye sight meets legal standards and flag up other medical concerns, this is not currently a legal requirement.