Drivers over 70 should face special test, says the DVLA

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The elderly are currently required only to complete a form declaring any medical conditions which could affect their driving.

With no checks made, research suggests only 10 per cent of those with a notifiable condition bother to disclose it.

Yesterday's call from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency comes in the wake of research showing motorists of 71 or over are three times more likely than younger drivers to be killed or seriously injured on the roads.

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Special driving tests should be introduced for the over-70s to check they are still safe behind the wheel, says the DVLA

The number of drivers in this age group is rising fast, with more than 3million now holding full licences, a rise of 300,000 in less than two years.

Ann Corbett, a road safety officer for Durham Council, said: "Although the number of people holding a full driving licence decreases with age, the percentage of these people who become driver casualties increases."

The DVLA will publish a consultation document this autumn suggesting that the tests could include a medical assessment, a half-hour written exam and an eye test.

Councils will also be encouraged to introduce voluntary driving tests for the elderly and offer training for those deemed to be borderline unsafe.

Gloucestershire County Council already has such a scheme in place, called Safer Driving with Age, in which drivers volunteer for a one-hour assessment in their own car on familiar roads.

The instructor makes detailed notes on the driver's ability and gives them a grade ranging from very safe to unsafe.

Deteriorating driving skills can be caused by slower reaction times, changes in eyesight, confusion and hearing difficulties.

Rob Gifford, of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said public transport must also be improved to provide alternatives to driving.

He said: "We need to discourage older drivers from placing themselves and others at increased risk - but also help them to find alternative methods of transport so that they do not become housebound as a result of giving up the car."

• Learner drivers face 15 more multiple-choice questions on the theory test after it was extended yesterday.

It now costs £28.50, up from £21.50.