Senior motorists are disproportionately represented in South Australia’s road fatalities, leading local authorities to initiate safety courses aimed at updating older drivers' skill sets.
On March 27, the South Australia Police will be holding an event. two free sessions At their new Road Safety Centre in West Beach, they aim to keep road users informed about updated traffic regulations.
Aimed at drivers who are 70 years old and above, these road safety courses are also available to license holders of all ages, and they will include an evaluation of the participants' suitability to drive.
The South Australia Police aims to "decrease the disproportionate number of elderly individuals involved as casualties in traffic accidents through education about Australian driving regulations and changes made since they last updated their knowledge; coexisting safely on roads [and addressing] the top five reasons for such incidents."
It aims to teach elderly residents about "alternatives to driving, pedestrian safety, and safe use of electric mobility devices."
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In the previous year, 88 drivers met fatal ends on South Australian roadways, where over 43 percent of these tragic losses involved individuals who were 65 years old or above; specifically, this accounted for 38 casualties.
This figure is notably above the national average, as individuals aged 65 years or more constituted 25 percent of all road user deaths in Australia last year, accounting for 327 out of 1324 total fatalities.
This isn’t the first attempt by South Australia to assist elderly motorists stay current; the South Australian Council on Aging had earlier introduced the Moving Right Along initiative.
ABC News More than 2500 drivers have participated in this educational initiative up until 2019, after which the former South Australian Government discontinued its annual contribution of reportedly $100,000 to fund the program.
The announcement of the police-administered course was made only a few months following when a 97-year-old South Australian woman grabbed public attention as she failed her second practical driving test. battled to have her license restored .
In South Australia, drivers who are 85 years old or older must undergo an annual practical driving assessment. If they accumulate 20 or more points, it counts as a failure. According to reports, the woman received 182 points on her initial test and 128 on her subsequent one, which resulted in her license being suspended.
Although an appeal was made to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT), the decision stood firm, even when her grandson or representative argued that the practical test evaluator’s "judgments were largely shaped by, or significantly swayed due to, the candidate’s age."
MORE: A 97-year-old Aussie battles to retain their driver’s license following two unsuccessful exams.
