IT SEEMS EVERY TIME THERE’S an incident involving an elderly driver, fingers are immediately pointed (usually before the causes have even been evaluated), and calls go out for even more stringent testing.
The latest event follows a collision near a playground that killed a woman and man and left a child fighting for life.
The accident occurred in Wantirna South in Melbourne’s east when a 91-year-old driver lost control of her car, causing a woman aged 59 to die at the scene. A man, 60, suffered life-threatening injuries and subsequently also died, while a two-year-old boy was taken to hospital where he is now reported as being in a stable condition.
At the time of writing, police were yet to interview the elderly driver who is understandably shaken by what happened. She suffered minor injuries when her Toyota Yaris mounted a footpath and hit the trio. It then travelled down a hill, smashed through a fence and came to rest after hitting a bench.
Superintendent Justin Goldsmith said, “The car came from behind and it looks like it’s (lost control) about 40 to 50m before the collision with the people who were walking on the other side of the road.”
Still out of control, the car continued down the road for a further 200m, hitting a street sign and demolishing a fence near the playground.
Naturally, police will investigate whether speed was a contributing factor. Why won’t police use the correct terminology of “inappropriate speed”? Of course speed, even if it was low speed, was a factor. We’ve said it so many times before: if she was stationary, there would have been no accident. If there had been nobody on the footpath, there would have been no injuries. The only way there will be a zero road toll is if the speed limit is zero.
Victoria does not have age-based driving safety requirements, other than drivers aged 75 years and over being required to renew their licence every three years, and this renewal can involve various tests.
In other states such as NSW, Queensland, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory, drivers over 75 are required to undergo a health check. Drivers in SA must complete self-assessments. In WA, drivers over 80 are required to have an annual medical assessment before they can renew a driver’s licence.
In the usual knee-jerk reaction, Acting Premier Ben Carroll said the incident brought “into focus” previous and ongoing calls for older people to prove their fitness to drive. He said he would “work with the road safety minister” to look into changing the rules. Inevitably, that will mean more catch-all rules and yet another dip into senior drivers’ pockets.
The crash happened in the first week of school holidays. Victoria has seen a frightening road toll of 14 in just the past seven days, and a record number of deadly crashes involving out-of-control vehicles in recent years. In the worst case, five people were killed and six injured in November 2023 when a diabetic driver lost consciousness and crashed into patrons seated outside the Royal Daylesford Hotel. Little has been specifically aimed at crashes that did not involve elderly drivers, but whenever the driver is “elderly”, the calls start up again.
Everyone should be assessed on their fitness to drive, not just a certain age group. Everyone should be expected to know and understand the road rules, and especially the multiple changes that are put in place every year. Everyone’s car should be roadworthy and safe.
And that means everyone. Not just people over an arbitrarily selected age.