UK Judge Calls For Cognitive Testing For Drivers Over 80 - Do You Agree?

A Fatal Accident Inquiry into the death of a three-year-old toddler in Edinburgh has resulted in court recommendations that would significantly affect the rights of older people to get behind the wheel.

 

Current law says drivers have to self-certify their fitness when applying to renew driving licences via the DVLA at age 70, and thereafter at three-year intervals. Sheriff Principal Nigel Ross’s determination following the inquiry into Xander Irvine’s death found the tragedy could have been avoided if the driver who hit him – 91-year-old Edith Duncan – had been identified as unfit to drive through cognitive impairment.